The League of American Theatres and Producers projects that Broadway grosses for the 1999-2000 season may be as high as $589 million, just $1 million more than reported last year. Theatre attendance, however, is expected to be down to 11.4 million from last year's 11.7 million.

The League has released statistics for total attendance and box office grosses for the recent holiday season. The same release includes figures for the past two full seasons, as well as projections for total attendance and box office grosses for the season now underway.

According to the League report, holiday week box office gross receipts were $15,002,508, down 15 percent from $17,271,543. In addition, holiday attendance was 245,315 in 1999, down 17 percent from last season's holiday high of 287,161 attendees.

The League described the holiday statistics in a seasonal context, saying that the seven-day holiday period between Christmas and New Year "proved to be the best box office week yet for the current season."

"We are delighted that last week's grosses and attendance were at a peak for the current season," remarked theatre League president Jed Bernstein. "Given the shorter holiday period and conflicting [millennial] activities, the reduction from the last two years was certainly to be expected." -- By Murdoch McBride