Broadway Grosses: The Lion King Leads the Pack at the Box Office

With Labor Day just around the corner, Broadway fans are squeezing in trips to New York City to catch a show before school starts. The Lion King roared ahead at the box office this week as the only show to hit the $2 million mark. Big earners Matilda and Kinky Boots both broke their box office records, and the new musical Soul Doctor got a bump in sales on its opening week. Meanwhile, The Book of Mormon and Pippin packed in crowds with over 100% capacity.

Here’s a look at who was on top and who was not for the week ending August 18:

FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. The Lion King ($2,112,788)
2. Wicked ($1,871,050)
3. The Book of Mormon ($1,741,615)
4. Kinky Boots ($1,649,031)
5. Motown The Musical ($1,437,843)

UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. First Date ($424,227)
4. Rock of Ages ($384, 217)
3. Let It Be ($316,572)
2. Forever Tango ($282,884)
1. Soul Doctor ($200,673)*

FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. The Book of Mormon (102.63%)
2. Kinky Boots (100.77%)
3. Matilda (100.75%)
4. Pippin (100.01%)
5. Motown The Musical (99.37%)

UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark (78.55%)**
4. Annie (73.00%)
3. Cinderella (72.93%)
2. Forever Tango (64.74%)
1. Let It Be (39.58%)

*Number based on four previews and four regular performances.
**Number based on seven performances; the eighth was cancelled mid-show after cast member Daniel Curry was injured. 
Information provided by the Broadway League.