The winter weather last week had a chilling effect on Broadway, causing a downturn in box office revenue for most shows. Overall receipts dropped nearly 10% from the previous week, totaling $21,192,251 for the 24 productions. Attendance also took a hit, with only 187,573 people attending shows, which was down about 12% from the previous week.
Despite the overall downward trend, a few shows managed to increase their grosses. Sweeney Todd saw an uptick in revenue with the welcoming of Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster as permanent replacements. The Sondheim revival raked in $1,260,185, up $402,763 from the previous week. The Notebook also showed promise, with almost selling out all of its first three previews at the Schoenfeld Theatre, grossing $364,678.
On the flip side, How To Dance In Ohio, in its final week of performances, saw a jump in ticket sales to $797,305, with last-chancers boosting the numbers. Hadestown also gained momentum as it approached its fifth anniversary, with replacement cast members helping to increase revenue by $55,514. Appropriate, a Second Stage production starring Sarah Paulson, announced a commercial transfer and extension, but lost a performance due to Covid, slipping to $706,260.
Doubt: A Parable, the Roundabout revival of the John Patrick Shanley play, announced the departure of Tyne Daly due to medical reasons. The show grossed $447,698 for seven previews, with understudy Isabel Keating stepping in and Amy Ryan taking over. The opening night is set for March 7. Season to date, Broadway has grossed $1,090,523,665, with total attendance at 8,682,619.
The winter weather had a mixed impact on Broadway shows, with some seeing declines in revenue and attendance while others managed to buck the trend. The upcoming weeks will continue to be challenging for the industry, especially with Covid-related disruptions affecting performances. It will be interesting to see how Broadway adapts and navigates through these challenges in the coming months.