Broadway Grosses: Easter Bunny Brings Holiday Box Office Cheer

Easter week in New York City means lots of visitors, which means a boost at Broadway box offices. Nine shows topped $1 million in grosses for the week ending Easter Sunday, with West Side Story setting a record at the Palace Theatre at more than $1.3 million. Family-oriented shows experienced huge jumps: Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid took in $300,000+ more than the week before, and Shrek also joined the $1 million club, jumping more than $250,000 from the previous week. With the addition of four previewing productions, a total of 34 shows are now running on Broadway, with only one more, Desire Under the Elms, on tap before the deadline for the 2009 Tony Awards.

Here is a look at who was on top and who was not for the week ending April 12:

FRONTRUNNERS By Gross
1. Wicked $1,524,141
2. The Lion King $1,409,411
3. West Side Story $1,308,787
4. Billy Elliot $1,207,493
5. Mary Poppins $1,050,779

UNDERDOGS By Gross
5. Reasons to be Pretty $157,040
4. Accent on Youth $145,549*
3. Irena’s Vow $145,123
2. The Philanthropist $119,727**
1. The Norman Conquests $96,012*

FRONTRUNNERS By Capacity
1. Mamma Mia! 101.51%
2. Jersey Boys 101.20%
3. Chicago 101.15%
4. The Phantom of the Opera 100.78%
5. West Side Story 100.63%

UNDERDOGS By Capacity
5. Impressionism 56.03%
4. Reasons to be Pretty 54.92%
3. Mary Stuart 40.97%***
2. Irena’s Vow 35.47%
1. The Norman Conquests 33.92%*

*Number based on seven preview performances.
**Number based on four preview performances.
***Number based on eight preview performances.
Data provided by the Broadway League.