Broadway Box Office: Week 3: 06.11 - 06.17.12

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Broadway Box Office

Week #3 of the 2012 - 2013 Season

June 11 - 17; 35 Productions

The first week post-Tonys and just a few weeks shy of the true summer slump proved somewhat telling at the Broadway Box Office this past week.  Tony wins provided a serious boost to Best Musical Once and two shows finishing their runs, Venus in Fur (up a huge $213,407 - the biggest gain of any show this week  and 11.8% from the previous week) and Other Desert Cities (up a decent $78,243 and a giant 15% - the biggest attendance gain of any show this week).  It is rare that plays are responsible for the biggest leap in cash and audience in the same week.  Since both have been around for awhile, one has to think that the jump was, in fact, due, in part at least, to the Tony wins of Nina Arianda and Judith Light, respectively.  A couple of Tonys didn't hurt the already boffo Newsies, which is already close to its ceiling, earning 95.27% of its potential gross and going beyond sold out.  The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess did better, but not great, despite its Best Revival of a Musical win, with a 5.8% rise in attendance and a $73,253 increase at the B.O..  It is making less than half of its gross potential, and is filling only 75% of its seats.  Best Play Clybourne Park is pretty much a flat line, taking in $25,193 more than last week, but dropping 2.1% in attendance.  Peter and the Starcatcher, big winner as far as plays go, was also relatively flat, with a box office increase of just $32,190, and a .4% drop in attendance.  With the announcement that Tony winner and Smash star Christian Borle will be leaving the show June 30th, I have a feeling the numbers will go up for this terrific play.

Of the older shows, Sister Act  continues to feel the effects of a well-regarded performance by replacement Raven-Symone, doing decent if not great box office, though a definite up-tick since the departure of star and relative unknown Patina Miller.  Perennials The Lion King, Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera are strong as always, with the mystifyingly popular Rock Of Ages remains a top 10 show.  Who says you need a Tony at all?  War Horse and Chicago continue their up and down merry-go-round ride as always.

As they near their final curtains, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Godspell and The Lyons are slowly dwindling.  And that is a real shame.  All three deserve to go out with a bang.

RANK THIS WEEK	SHOW TITLE	SHOW TYPE	THEATRE	RANK LAST WEEK	UP/ DOWN
1	The Book of Mormon	Musical	Eugene O'Neill	1	Same
2	Disney's The Lion King	Musical	Minskoff	2	Same
3 tie	Wicked	Musical	Gershwin	2	-1
3 tie	Disney's Newsies: The Musical	Musical	Nederlander	4	+1
3 tie	Once	Musical	Bernard B. Jacobs	6	+3
6	Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark	Musical	Foxwoods	7	+1
7	Rock of Ages	Musical	Helen Hayes	9	+2
8	Venus in Fur	Play	Lyceum	18	+10
9	Jersey Boys	Musical	August Wilson	8	-1
10	Evita	Musical Revival	Marquis	5	-5
11 tie	Gore Vidal's The Best Man	Play Revival	Gerald Schoenfeld	10	-1
11 tie	One Man, Two Guvnors	Play	Music Box	12	+1
13	Other Desert Cities	Play	Booth	21	+8
14	Nice Work If You Can Get It	Musical	Imperial	11	-3
15	Peter and the Starcatcher	Play	Brooks Atkinson	13	-2
16	The Phantom of the Opera	Musical	Majestic	16	Same
17	Harvey	Play Revival	Studio 54	15	-2
18 tie	Mamma Mia	Musical	Winter Garden	16	-2
18 tie	Disney's Mary Poppins	Musical	New Amsterdam	20	+2
20 tie	The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess	Musical Revival	Richard Rodgers	23	+3
20 tie	War Horse	Play	Vivian Beaumont	14	-6
22	Clybourne Park	Play	Walter Kerr	22	Same
23 tie	Chicago	Musical Revival	Ambassador	18	-5
23 tie	Anything Goes	Musical Revival	Stephen Sondheim	23	Same
25	The Columnist	Play	Samuel J. Friedman	25	Same
26	Sister Act	Musical	Broadway	30	+4
27 tie	Memphis	Musical	Shubert	26	-1
27 tie	Ghost: The Musical	Musical	Lunt-Fontanne	26	-1
29 tie	Jesus Christ Superstar	Musical Revival	Neil Simon	28	-1
29 tie	End of the Rainbow	Play	Belasco	28	-1
31 tie	Priscilla Queen of the Desert	Musical	Palace	31	Same
31 tie	Don't Dress for Dinner	Play	American Airlines	32	+1
33	A Streetcar Named Desire	Play	Broadhurst	33	Same
34	Godspell	Musical Revival	Circle-in-the-Square	35	+1
35	The Lyons	Play	Cort	34	-1

Don't Dress for Dinner, Other Desert Cities and Venus in Fur closed June 17, 2012.

SRO: Harvey, Newsies, Once, The Book of Mormon, The Lion King
$M Club: Wicked, The Lion King, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Evita, Newsies
$100+ Tix Average: Evita, The Best Man, Newsies, Once, One Man, Two Guvnors, Rock of Ages, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, The Book of Mormon, The Lion King, Venus in Fur, Wicked

Click HERE to see how the rankings are calculated.

Jeff

3.290

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