Broadway Grosses: SpongeBob SquarePants Starts Strong at the Palace Theatre

Broadway's newest musical comedy SpongeBob SquarePants kicked off preview performances on November 6, and audiences are already eager for a first look. The new show based on Nickelodeon's celebrated cartoon saw big numbers in its first week. In just seven performances, the musical featuring original music by Cyndi Lauper, Sara Bareilles, The Flaming Lips and Panic at the Disco took in a gross of $615,879.00 and filled the Palace Theatre to 85.81% capacity. SpongeBob SquarePants, led by Ethan Slater in the title role alongside Broadway.com vlogger Lilli Cooper as Sandy Cheeks, officially opens on December 4, and we have no doubt that the show will take lucky theatergoers to a pineapple under the sea for years to come.

Here's a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending November 12:

FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. Hamilton ($3,143,107.00)
2. Springsteen on Broadway  ($2,395,570.00)*
3. Hello, Dolly! ($2,352,791.81)
4. The Lion King ($1,908,293.00)
5. Dear Evan Hansen ($1,680,818.20)

UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. The Parisian Woman ($579,771.51)**
4. Latin History for Morons ($454,807.00)***
3. The Play That Goes Wrong ($435,298.25)
2. Once on This Island ($381,169.50)***
1. Time and the Conways  ($356,453.41)

FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. The Book of Mormon (102.01%)
2. Come From Away (101.89%)
3. Hamilton (101.81%)
4. Dear Evan Hansen (101.52%)
5. Once on This Island (100.72%)***

UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. M. Butterfly (79.91%)
4. The Play That Goes Wrong (79.80%)
3. The Phantom of the Opera (79.42%)
2. School of Rock (76.81%)
1. Miss Saigon (74.74%)

*Number based on five regular performances
**Number based on five preview performances
***Number based on six preview performances

Source: The Broadway League