Thanksgiving tourists picked true to form on Broadway last week, opting for big musical blockbusters like “Wicked” — which grossed a rare $2 million for eight performances — and “The Lion King,” which, with $1.87 million, had its highest-grossing week in the 13-year history of the Disney musical on Broadway. The good tidings extended to holiday-themed shows like the new musical “Elf,” which, after “Wicked,” notched the largest one-week jump in grosses, earning $1,406,283 last week compared to $862,995 for the previous week.
In all, nine musicals and one play — “The Merchant of Venice,” featuring Al Pacino and Lily Rabe — each earned more than $1 million last week. “Merchant” managed to make the million-dollar club even though it played seven performances, one fewer than usual. The average paid admission for “Merchant” last week was $140.31, a bit more than the top regular ticket price of $140. It’s an indication that a good number of people shelled out the $300 for premium orchestra seats.
The other musicals that earned more than $1 million were “Billy Elliot,” “Jersey Boys,” “Mary Poppins,” “Promises, Promises,” “The Addams Family” and “The Phantom of the Opera.” Among those, the long-running “Phantom” is the most reliant on tourists to clear the $1 million bar; it last did so in mid-July.
Over all, Broadway box offices grossed $26,365,120 last week, compared to $25.3 million for Thanksgiving week 2009. Musicals swamped plays in popularity, which is typical during a heavy tourist week. Several plays had Thanksgiving grosses that were lower than earnings from the previous week, including “A Free Man of Color,” “Brief Encounter,” “Lombardi” and “Time Stands Still.” Some musicals were down slightly as well, like “Million Dollar Quartet,” “The Scottsboro Boys” and “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.”
The new musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” which is counting on hit status in light of its record-setting $65 million budget, earned a strong $200,605 for its single preview performance on Sunday night — and probably would have earned $50,000 more if free tickets had not been given to V.I.P.’s.
Heading into December, which can be slow for Broadway in the first two weeks before picking up toward typically the most lucrative week of the year (from Christmas to New Year’s Day), theatergoers and tourists will have even fewer plays to choose among, with “A Life in the Theater,” “Elling” and “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” each closing on Sunday.
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