Broadway Grosses: Pop the Cork! 2005 Breaks Box Office Records

Broadway has had a record-breaking year in 2005, grossing more than ever before. The Great White Way took in $825 million for the calendar year--a 10.2% increase compared to 2004. Theaters had a paid attendance of 11.98 million in 2005, which is a 5.7% increase from last year and the highest paid attendance in two decades. What created this spectacular sales year on Broadway? Well, for starters there were many big names on the stage, such as Billy Crystal in 700 Sundays, Denzel Washington in Julius Caesar and Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane in The Odd Couple. Additionally, over 30 new musicals and plays opened, most of which are still up and running strong.

Here is a look at who was on top and who was not for the week ending December 25:

FRONTRUNNERS By Gross
1. Wicked $1,439,603
2. The Lion King $1,425,783
3. Spamalot $977,524*
4. The Color Purple $922,449*
5. Jersey Boys $895,865

UNDERDOGS By Gross
5. Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life $204,735*
4. A Touch of the Poet $158,433**
3. Seascape $75,531*
2. Souvenir $49,012*
1. Latinologues $35,680

FRONTRUNNERS By Capacity
1. Spamalot 101.78%*
2. The Odd Couple 101.09%
3. The Lion King 100.58%
4. Wicked 100%
5. The Phantom of the Opera 93.96%*

UNDERDOGS By Capacity
5. A Touch of the Poet 48.96%**
4. Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life 45.04%*
3. Seascape 33.46%*
2. Latinologues 21.37%*
2. Souvenir 19.96%*

*Number based on seven performances
**Number based on six performances
Data provided by The League of American Theatres and Producers.