Broadway Grosses: War Paint Fills the House as Shows Excel in Previews

Shows in previews took off in capacity during the week ending March 19. The new musical War Paint, starring Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole, filled the Nederlander Theatre to 92.01%, up from 90.81% last week. Direct from a sold-out run at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, the show following the reign of cosmetics titans Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden features a new score by the Grey Gardens team of Scott Frankel and Michael Korie. The new revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring Bette Midler, kicked off previews this past week, packing in audiences at the Shubert Theatre to 100.31% capacity. And the musical Amélie, beginning its run at the Walter Kerr Theatre, played to 95.57% capacity.

Here's a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending March 19:

FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. Hamilton ($2,865,344.00)
2. The Lion King ($1,996,381.00)
3. Wicked ($1,913,84.00)
4. Aladdin ($1,569,251.50)
5. Hello, Dolly! ($1,404,161.20)*

UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
1. The Play That Goes Wrong  ($332,881.00)
2. Sweat ($244,447.80)
3. Groundhog Day ($213,235.60)**
4. In Transit ($198,081.25)
5. Significant Other ($148,527.00)

FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. The Book of Mormon (102.11%)
2. Hamilton (101.59%)
3. Dear Evan Hansen (101.52%)
4. Hello, Dolly! (100.31%)*
5. The Phantom of the Opera (100.29%)

UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
1. Chicago (79.24%)
2. Kinky Boots (75.18%)
3. Paramour (74.84%)
4. In Transit (74.81%)
5. The Present (70.52%)

*Number based on five performances
**Number based on two performances

Source: The Broadway League