The Broadway box office experienced a slight decline of about 3% in the first week of the 2024-2025 season, reporting a total gross of $35,295,405 for 34 productions. Total attendance also saw a decrease of just shy of 2%, settling at 287,246. Despite this, a healthy 91% of available seats were filled, indicating a strong turnout for the week ending May 26.
Production Analysis
Out of the 34 productions, 21 reported some slippage heading into the Memorial Day Weekend holiday. Some productions played fewer or comped shows, impacting their overall performance. For example, Mother Play had to cancel two performances due to illness in the company, leading to a drop in total receipts by $186,154 to $451,737. Cabaret also had a fully comped Tuesday performance, resulting in receipts being down by $243,584 to $1,721,760.
Among the shows playing full schedules, some of the biggest slides in dollar amounts were reported by A Beautiful Noise, The Who’s Tommy, Illinoise, and The Great Gatsby. Despite these declines, The Great Gatsby remained at a 90%+ capacity/attendance figure, with 93% of seats filled. On the other hand, top earners for the week included The Lion King, Wicked, Cabaret, and Merrily We Roll Along.
Newcomer Home, the Roundabout revival of the Samm-Art Williams play, was still finding its footing in previews at the Todd Haimes. It grossed $99,866 for seven previews and filled 70% of seats. This indicates that even established productions may face challenges in attracting audiences, especially in a competitive Broadway landscape.
Season Overview and Future Prospects
Season to date, Broadway has grossed $35,295,405 in the first week of the new season, with total attendance at 287,246. While some shows have faced declines in attendance and revenue, others continue to thrive. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season unfolds and if any productions can turn their performance around to attract more audiences.