Broadway Grosses: As Many Shows Approach Winter Shutter Dates, Some Pick Up Steam in Final Weeks
What goes up must come down, but not forever. Following a stellar two weeks over the holidays, Broadway box offices faced an expected drop as throngs of tourists escaped the cold of New York. Many shows have closed or approach their final performances, including Motown the Musical, which will bid farewell to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on January 18. In its penultimate week on the boards, the tuner made it into the last spot of the top five grossing shows, coming in at $1,086,042. It joined perennial favorites The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Wicked and Aladdin. Additional shows facing imminent closings, whether a result of box office performance or limited engagement scheduling, include Rock of Ages (January 18), The Last Ship (January 24), The River (February 8), You Can’t Take It With You (February 22), A Delicate Balance (February 22), The Elephant Man (February 22), Disgraced (March 1), If/Then (March 22), It’s Only a Play (March 29) and Cabaret (March 29).
Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending January 11:
FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. The Lion King ($1,840,464)
2. The Book of Mormon ($1,609,728)
3. Wicked ($1,593,224)
4. Aladdin ($1,388,395)
5. Motown the Musical ($1,086,042)
UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. Rock of Ages ($444,828)
4. Honeymoon in Vegas ($399,588)*
3. You Can't Take It With You ($392,715)
2. Disgraced ($382,854)
1. Constellations ($336,203)**
FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. The Book of Mormon (102.61%)
2. The Elephant Man (101.18%)
3. Aladdin (100.00%)
4. Cabaret (99.55%)***
5. Constellations (98.33%)**
UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. A Delicate Balance (73.35%)
4. Chicago (72.56%)
3. Disgraced (70.07%)
2. You Can't Take It With You (61.30%)
1. On the Town (58.05%)
*Number based on eight preview performances
**Number based on seven preview performances
***Number based on seven regular performances
Source: The Broadway League