The Broadway box office saw a slight decrease of about 3% in the first week of the 2024-2025 season, reporting a total gross of $35,295,405 for 34 productions. Despite the decrease, the total attendance was off by just under 2% compared to the previous week, with 287,246 people attending shows. This indicates that a healthy 91% of available seats were filled.
Production Performance
Out of the 34 productions, 21 reported some slippage in attendance heading into the Memorial Day Weekend holiday. Some productions even had to cancel or comp shows, affecting their overall revenue. For example, Mother Play canceled two performances due to illness in the company, resulting in a drop of $186,154 in total receipts. Cabaret had a fully comped Tuesday performance, leading to a decrease of $243,584 in total earnings.
Despite the challenges faced by some productions, there were still top earners for the week. The Lion King, Wicked, and Cabaret were among the highest grossing shows, with earnings exceeding $1.5 million each. These shows continue to draw in audiences and generate significant revenue for Broadway.
Newcomer Home, a Roundabout revival of the Samm-Art Williams play, was still in its preview stage during the first week of the season. Despite filling 70% of seats, it grossed $99,866, indicating that it is still finding its footing in the competitive Broadway landscape. It will be interesting to see how this production performs in the coming weeks.
Season to date, Broadway has grossed $35,295,405 in the first week of the new season, with total attendance at 287,246. While there were some challenges and decreases in attendance for certain productions, overall, Broadway continues to be a thriving industry, with numerous shows attracting audiences and generating substantial revenue.
The state of the Broadway box office in the first week of the 2024-2025 season shows a mixed picture of successes and challenges. While some productions experienced decreases in attendance and revenue, top earners like The Lion King and Wicked continue to perform well. As the season progresses, it will be important for producers and theatre owners to adapt to changing audience preferences and market conditions to ensure the continued success of Broadway as a whole.