Broadway Box Office and Attendance for 2005-06 Season Up From Previous Year

By Robert Simonson
May 30, 2006

Broadway counted 12,003,148 heads in paid attendance during the 2005-06 season, a jump of 4.1 percent over the previous season's showing, the League of American Theatres and Producers reported.

According to the League, this was the first time attendance creeped past the 12 million mark.

Grosses, meanwhile, hit a new record, increasing 12 percent from $768.5 million to $861.6 million.

Thirty-nine plays and musicals opened during the 2005-06 season. The percentage of seats filled at those show for the season was an all-time high of 81.6 percent. Additionally, the number of playing weeks—that is, the number of weeks that Broadway theatres were occupied by shows—was the third highest on record: 1,501 playing weeks, up from 1,494 during 2004-05.

"This season was marked by tremendous new musicals and plays, offering audiences a diversity of shows from which to choose," said Jed Bernstein, President of The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc, in a prepared statement. "Although the strong business results continue to underline Broadway's revenue stakes in New York, increasing cost pressures have resulted in no increase in the number of shows making a profit. Broadway is still a high risk investment."

Broadway shows which officially claimed recoupment of their investments during the 2005-06 season included Sweeney Todd, Bridge & Tunnel, Spamalot, The Pillowman, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Glengarry Glen Ross, Julius Caesar and Doubt. The sold-out The Odd Couple and Three Days of Rain also likely made a healthy profit.