That's a lot of "hello"s! The Book of Mormon continues to bring in Broadway audiences, reaching a capacity of 102.6% for the eleventh consecutive week. That's a consistent 8,528 sitting and 224 standing audience members every week. The Tony-winning musical joined perennial box office hits The Lion King, Wicked, Aladdin and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical in the top five grossing shows. Andrew Rannells kicked off performances in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on August 20, with fans eager to catch his first week in the wig and fishnets at 87.60% capacity. The newest addition to the Great White Way, Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth, had a quiet first week with seven preview performances; we expect numbers to grow as buzz develops. Meanwhile, two tuners that posted closing notices earlier this summer, Newsies and Bullets Over Broadway, took their final bow this past Sunday.
Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending August 24:
FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. The Lion King ($1,955,396)
2. Wicked ($1,795,268)
3. The Book of Mormon ($1,606,698)
4. Aladdin ($1,512,983)
5. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical ($1,282,410)
UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. Chicago ($569,511)
4. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill ($511,741)*
3. Once ($425,535)
2. This is Our Youth ($365,614)**
1. Rock of Ages ($315,426)
FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. The Book of Mormon (102.63%)
2. A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder (101.05%)
3. The Lion King (100.06%)
4. Matilda (99.97%)
5. Aladdin (99.95%)
UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. Rock of Ages (78.60%)
4. This is Our Youth (77.72%)**
3. Bullets Over Broadway (68.98%)
2. Once (66.32%)
1. Cinderella (59.29%)
*Number based on seven regular performances
**Number based on seven preview performances
Source: The Broadway League