Broadway Grosses: Hits Remain Hot; Broadway Now Boasts 38 Shows

With the delay of Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark to a January 2011 opening, the fall Broadway season is now complete with 38 shows currently on the boards. (Still to come before the holidays: a limited run by Donny & Marie Osmond.) Elf and Elling played their first previews; meanwhile, the grosses’ leader board remained steady in a week in which most shows experienced a slight drop at the box office. Only 10 of the shows currently running played to more than 80% of capacity, a number sure to rise as the holiday season approaches.

Here is a look at who was on top and who was not for the week ending November 7:

FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. Wicked ($1,547,866)
2. The Lion King ($1,366,498)
3. Jersey Boys ($1,063,655)
4. Billy Elliot ($954,495)
5. Promises, Promises ($906,892)

UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. Mrs. Warren’s Profession ($225,904)
4. The Pitmen Painters ($201,113)
3. A Life in the Theatre ($187,480)
2. Elling ($155,419)*
1. Colin Quinn: Long Story Short ($87,764)**

FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. Wicked (98.38%)
2. The Merchant of Venice (95.83%)***
3. Jersey Boys (95.57%)
4. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (91.93%)****
5. The Lion King (90.50%)

UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. Time Stands Still (56.05%)
5. Million Dollar Quartet (56.05%)
3. La Bete (50.36%)
2. American Idiot (48.11%)
1. A Life in the Theatre (33.01%)

*Number based on seven preview performances.
**Number based on eight preview performances.
***Number based on six previews and one regular performance.
***Number based on three previews and five regular performances.
Data provided by the Broadway League.