Heading into the final stretches of Tony season – the awards are June 8 – it’s interesting to see what contender shows have benefitted from their nominations the most, the least and how the shut-outs are holding up (in the case of Othello, just fine thank you).
For the week ending May 18, about 14 shows that were in the running for nominations reported box office slips, however small, from the previous week. Ten contenders saw increases.
First, the anomaly: Redwood, starring Idina Menzel, got no nominations, announced an early close and, in its final week saw a $191,581 gain over the previous week, the last-chancers helping to boost the gross to $818,697. Still, attendance didn’t break the 85% capacity mark at the Nederlander.
The Picture of Dorian Gray, with six nominations and starring Sarah Snook, was up a noticeable $120,388 to $1,324,626, but that can be largely explain by the addition of a performance – last week had a planned seven performance week compared to the previous week’s six performances. Both weeks were sell-outs.
Making the largest gains (other than Redwood) were Good Night, And Good Luck, up $143,803 to $3,955,968, and Sunset Blvd., up $146,711 to $1,262,121. The former scored five Tony nominations, including one for star George Clooney, while the latter got seven, including Best Revival/Musical and the top acting categories.
John Proctor Is The Villain, with seven nominations, was standing room only at The Booth, climbing $37,852 to $634,363 – a gross considerably higher than the mid-$300,000 figures during previews.
Purpose, with six nominations, was up $35,793 over the previous week, landing at $558,484, with 97% of seats at the Hayes occupied.
Oh, Mary!, with five nominations, did its usual sell-out business at the Lyceum, making a $62,618 jump to $1,104,396.
Buena Vista Social Club, with 10 nominations, took in $1,196,101 for a $31,796 gain, playing to standing room only at the Schoenfeld.
Maybe Happy Ending, also with 10 nominations, filled the Belasco, taking $1,004,624 for a $3,697 gain over the previous week.
Floyd Collins, with six nominations, was up $1,237 at the Beaumont, taking $513,070 while filling just 75% of seats.
Heading in the opposite direction, some taking smaller steps than others were:
Smash, with two nominations, sliding $47,647 to $790,715, with 78% of seats filled at the Imperial, and a modest average ticket price of $89.27.
Gypsy, with five nominations, slipped $38,048 to $1,142,179 and at 74% of capacity at the Majestic.
Boop! The Musical, with three nominations, was down $37,900 to $476,429, with 77% of seats filled at the Broadhurst and an average ticket price of $68.05.
Real Women Have Curves, with two nominations, was down $34,525 to $351,281, with attendance at the James Earl Jones at 64% of capacity, and an average ticket of $65.40.
Pirates! The Penzance Musical, shut out from the nominations, was off $34,172 to $496,228, attendance at 90% at the Haimes.
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, also shut out, was off $27,933 to $619,570 while still filling 93% of seats at the Friedman.
Othello, another shut out, was down $23,367, barely a dent in its $3,206,029 gross. Once again sold out the Barrymore, and with a $384.23 average ticket.
Glengarry Glen Ross, one nomination, was down $19,292, but as with Othello, the slip is nothing compared to its $2,416,097 gross. Attendance at the Palace was 99.7% of capacity, with a $231.98 average ticket.
Death Becomes Her, with 10 nominations, was off a negligible $13,266 to $1,330,600, still filling 96% of seats at the Lunt-Fontanne.
Just in Time, the Jonathan Groff starrer with 6 nominations, was down $11,944, barely a scratch in its $1,161,167 gross and standing room only attendance at Circle in the Square.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, five nominations, was off a small $5,179 to $875,111, with 80% of seats occupied at the Marquis.
Operation Mincemeat, with four nominations, was down a tad, slipping $3,786 to $757,916 while filling 98% of seats at the Golden.
Dead Outlaw, seven nominations, filled 85% of seats at the Longacre, dropping a small $3,412 to $504,343.
The Last Five Years, with no nominations, was down a barely-there $253 to $563,502, with attendance at 84% of the Hudson’s capacity.
In all, the 40 productions on Broadway last week grossed $44,351,676, up about 2% over the previous week and 22% over last year at this time. Attendance last week was 336,494, up less than a percentage point over the previous week and 15% year to year. Average ticket price last week over all 40 shows was $131.81.
Season to date, Broadway, in the 52nd week of the 2024-25 season, has grossed $1,845,375,536, up about 20% over last year at this time, with total attendance of 14,316,455 up 17%. (The 2024-2025 season is a 53-week season, ending on May 25. Since statistics are reported weekly, the Broadway season of 52 weeks amounts to 364 days, therefore a week is added to the Broadway season every seven years.)
All figures courtesy of The Broadway League. For complete box office visit the League’s website.
