Broadway Box Office Breaks Records in Most Recent Week
Hits new sales high of $50.3 million for week, as individual productions also break records
It was a week of breaking records on Broadway.
Several shows, from “Hamilton” to two-decade-old hits such as “The Lion King” and “Chicago,” reported all-time sales highs for the seven-day period that ended Sunday, according to the Broadway League, the trade group that tracks the industry. Broadway itself also set a new weekly sales high of $50.3 million, beating the previous record of $49.7 million, set about a year ago.
The strong sales didn’t come as a complete surprise, since the holidays traditionally bring out the crowds. Additionally, Broadway has been reporting robust weekly numbers throughout this season, with cumulative sales up by 18% at the midpoint in November.
Still, the $50.3 million figure was an impressive benchmark, especially given that some of the season’s most high-profile shows, such as the Broadwayadaptation of the Disney movie musical “Frozen,” have yet to open.
Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin credits the sales surge to the fact that Broadway audiences have plenty of choices these days, from the family-friendly to the serious-minded.
“It’s the diversity of what’s there,” she said.
“Hamilton” led the pack with weekly sales of $3,854,874. That was also the all-time weekly high in Broadway history, topping the $3,797,844 mark set by the musical earlier in December.
The sales records weren’t confined to Broadway.
The off-Broadway production of “Jersey Boys” took in $520,138 for the week. That was a record at New World Stages, which houses the musical.
Write to Charles Passy at cpassy@wsj.com
Appeared in the January 3, 2018, print edition as ‘Box Office Sees New Sales Highs Top-Selling Shows.’
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