Broadway Grosses: Plow Speeds Away; Story Ends Quickly

Broadway’s box offices held steady, with more than half the shows reporting an uptick in grosses from the previous week. Will Ferrell’s You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush played to capacity at the Cort Theatre during a week in which the show’s producers announced that they had recouped their investment after just five weeks of performances. Meanwhile, Brodway said farewell to the revival of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow and the new musical The Story of My Life, the latter closing just three days after its February 19 opening night.

Here is a look at who was on top and who was not for the week ending February 22:

FRONTRUNNERS By Gross
1. Wicked $1,449,915
2. Billy Elliot $1,180,058
3. The Lion King $1,144,776
4. Jersey Boys $1,051,295
5. South Pacific $921,580

UNDERDOGS By Gross
5. 33 Variations $257,720*
4. The 39 Steps $246,919
3. Hedda Gabler $223,429
2. The American Plan $218,117
1. The Story of My Life $84,060**

FRONTRUNNERS By Capacity
1. Jersey Boys 101.19%
2. Guys & Dolls 100.13%*
3. You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush 100.01%
4. Wicked 100%
5. South Pacific 98.01%

UNDERDOGS By Capacity
5. Pal Joey 73.07%
4. Speed-the-Plow 69.14%
3. August: Osage County 60.74%
2. 33 Variations 51.77%*
1. The Story of My Life 30.88%**

*Number based on eight preview performance.
**Number based on three preview and five regular performances.
Data provided by the Broadway League.