Broadway Grosses: 2016 Goes Out on a High Note at the Box Office, Hamilton Reigns Supreme
(Photo: Joan Marcus)
Broadway bid farewell to 2016 with added performances, box office boosts and myriad house records shattered. Virtually every show was up from the previous holiday week ending Christmas day; this is no surprise, as most shows went from seven performances (instead of the usual eight) to nine. Still, the top spot belonged to Hamilton, which did not add a show: the Broadway juggernaut grossed $3,335,430. Two other mainstays, Wicked and The Lion King, surpassed the $3 million mark. A total of 24 shows grossed over seven figures. Among those breaking house records in their respective theaters were A Bronx Tale, Aladdin, Cats, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Oh, Hello, The Phantom of the Opera, School of Rock and Waitress, as well as two shows that took their final bows: Matilda and The Illusionists: Turn of the Century (which played 17 performances over seven days). Two other shows had their final performance: Something Rotten! and Fiddler on the Roof; while neither broke house records, they did end on their highest grossing weeks.
Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending January 1:
FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. Hamilton ($3,335,430)
2. Wicked ($3,162,603)*
3. The Lion King ($3,098,330)*
4. Aladdin ($2,583,344)*
5. The Illusionists - Turn of the Century ($2,397,106)**
UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. Falsettos ($712,169)
4. In Transit ($477,431)*
3. Les Liaisons Dangereuses ($395,622)*
2. The Encounter ($334,416)*
1. Jitney ($141,047)***
FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. The Book of Mormon (102.63%)*
2. Hamilton (101.77%)
3. Dear Evan Hansen (101.59%)*
4. Chicago (101.48%)*
5. The Phantom of the Opera (100.58%)*
UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. The Humans (89.24%)*
4. In Transit (87.99%)*
3. The Illusionists: Turn of the Century (84.55%)**
2. The Encounter (80.35%)*
1. Les Liaisons Dangereuses (66.48%)*
*Number based on nine regular performances
**Number based on 17 performances
***Number based on four preview performances
Source: The Broadway League