Broadway ticket sales fall slightly from last week’s totals

The 28 productions currently open this past week held their own with a total of $18,725,752 in ticket sales, experiencing a slight dip over the last week’s $19,305,801. Both totals are behind the same week last season of $19,838,011. Young Frankenstein is not reporting its box office grosses.

In the million-dollar range again were six productions, Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre, The Lion King at the Minskoff, The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne, Jersey Boys at the August Wilson, Mamma Mia! at the Winter Garden and In the Heights at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Of the four plays remaining on Broadway, August: Osage County at the Music Box and Boeing-Boeing at the Longacre held the lead in ticket sales.

Comparing actual dollar increases in box office of individual productions to the last reporting period, The Phantom of the Opera saw $51 thousand more in the bank while Grease at the Atkinson saw almost $26 thousand less.

Looking at the percentage of increase in attendance over the previous week, A Catered Affair at the Kerr Theatre held the lead at almost 8 percent in its closing week, followed by Chicago at the Ambassador, up 6.5 percent. The 39 Steps at the Cort posted the biggest drop in attendance at just over 7 percent.

[title of show] at the Lyceum presents the “Best Bargain” at $42.97 Average Paid Admission while Jersey Boys continues to enjoy the highest Average Paid Admission at $114 and the Top Ticket at $350.

Last year producers looked to television in search for stars for Grease, this year it was a search for the replacement of the leading character “Elle” in Legally Blonde, playing at the Palace Theatre. MTV partnered with the production company of the musical and went on to keep the winner a secret up until the final episode aired on the reality TV series. Unlike Grease, who let the television audience choose the winner, it was judges who made the selection. Bailey Hanks from South Carolina was selected as the winner, and gave her first performance on July 23 to an enthusiastic audience.