Broadway Grosses: Big Shows Don't Cry

As New York City waited for Santa Claus to come to town, audiences celebrated the holiday season on Broadway. Almost every show posted a gain in attendance from the previous week, and the top five grossers all topped $1 million, with Wicked taking in a whopping $1.7 million. The folks at Disney had to be smiling as their newest entry, The Little Mermaid, made the top five in grosses and capacity while still in previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, joining big sibling The Lion King on both lists. Excellent reviews boosted The Homecoming's box office take by more than $80,000, though the Pinter revival still lagged behind several other plays. Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner continued to draw the biggest crowds among Broadway playgoers in Cyrano de Bergerac, which grossed more than $944,000 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

Here is a look at who was on top and who was not for the week ending December 23:

FRONTRUNNERS By Gross
1. Wicked $1,707,129
2. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas $1,645,221*
3. The Lion King $1,361,604
4. Jersey Boys $1,263,193
5. The Little Mermaid $1,183,665**

UNDERDOGS By Gross
5. The Homecoming $247,572
4. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee $227,608
3. Is He Dead? $223,732
2. Xanadu $200,789
1. Cymbeline $167,249

FRONTRUNNERS By Capacity
1. Jersey Boys 100.28%
2. Wicked 100.00%
3. The Little Mermaid 99.75%**
4. The Lion King 95.93%
5. Les Miserables 95.02%

UNDERDOGS By Capacity
5. A Chorus Line 54.84%
4. The Drowsy Chaperone 53.20%
3. The Farnsworth Invention 52.91%
2. The Homecoming 50.76%
1. Cymbeline 34.72%

* Number based on 15 regular performances
** Number based on 8 preview performances
Data provided by the League of American Theatres and Producers