A double-digit slip in the Nielsen ratings notwithstanding, the Tony Awards worked their magic at the box office, with this year’s winners, contenders and show-stealers reporting big increases in attendance and receipts.
Just a few examples: An Enemy of the People, Merrily We Roll Along and Stereophonic posted box office gains in the six figures.
In all, the 32 Broadway shows grossed $37,565,097 for the week ending June 23. That’s a 2% increase over the previous week, a more impressive bump than it seems at first glance: The previous week had 35 shows, including hefty money-makers Ben Platt: Live at the Palace, Uncle Vanya and Mother Play. The absence of those shows last week went a long way in explaining the 4% drop in attendance to 282,752.
Among the numbers:
- An Enemy of the People, which starred the Tony-winning Jeremy Strong, broke its own house record at Circle in the Square, taking in $1,545,913 for its final week of performances, an increase of $279,575 over the previous week;
- Best Musical Revival winner Merrily We Roll Along, starring Tony winners Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe (and nominee Lindsay Mendez) was up $329,797 last week, grossing $2,173,254 and setting a Hudson Theatre box office record for the eighth time; the show closes Sunday, July 7;
- Best Play Stereophonic, with a mostly unknown (or previously unknown at any rate) cast that includes Tony winner Will Brill, was a sell-out, jumping $218,535 to $1,018,115 (the previous week had only seven performances). Word is the David Adjmi play about a ’70s rock band recording their masterpiece album has an advance among the strongest currently on Broadway;
- Best Musical The Outsiders, another sell-out, jumped $283,453 to $1,307,257 (the previous week had only seven performances);
- Illinoise, the Sufjan Stevens dance-musical directed by Tony-winning choreographer Justin Peck, was up $88,688 to $847,502 in the wake of its well-received performance on the Tonys (also, the previous week was a seven-performance week);
- Hell’s Kitchen posted a $112,926 increase to $1,800,888;
- Suffs grossed an excellent $942,785, up $89,895 over the previous week;
- Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, which showcased itself on the Tonys with a polarizing performance by Eddie Redmayne, bucked the upward trend by dropping $68,914. But don’t read anything into that: Redmayne had a pre-scheduled day off, so the slip reflected his absence. The musical revival remained a solid draw, filling nearly all seats at the August Wilson and grossing an impressive $1,814,656;
- The Great Gatsby (Best Costume Design/Musical), was at 98% of capacity at the Broadway Theatre, up $177,786 to $1,333,401;
- The Notebook took in $760,670, a $96,784 increase over the previous week;
- Water For Elephants grossed $1,123,678, a boost of $120,85, at 87% of capacity at the Imperial;
- The Who’s Tommy was at 78% of capacity at the Nederlander, posting a $32,060 jump to $794,967.
Proving its ongoing appeal despite a Tony shut-out and lackluster reviews, The Wiz was a near sell-out (98%) at the Marquis, grossing $1,481,208, a $52,821 increase over the previous week.
Mary Jane, starring Rachel McAdams, had a planned seven-performance week, seeing a $73,906 drop (to $337,707) due to the missed show. Attendance was at a solid 96% of capacity.
In addition to An Enemy of the People, Patriots and The Heart of Rock and Roll played their final weeks, both reporting box office increases in excess of $120,000. Patriots grossed $452,357 and filled 85% of available seats, while the Huey Lewis jukebox musical took in $400,521 with attendance at 68% of capacity.
Appropriate, starring Tony winner Sarah Paulson, saw a drop in attendance with Paulson out sick for four performances; the Best Revival/Play was at 81% of capacity at the Belasco, down from 93% the previous week. Receipts still managed to jump by $47,993 to $926,098, with a muscular $140 average ticket price.
Season to date, Broadway, in the fifth week of the 2024-25 season, has grossed $179,386,328, up 11% over last year at this time, with total attendance of 1,435,330 up 8%.
All figures courtesy of The Broadway League. For complete box office listings, visit the League’s website.