Products You May Like
Declarations of “She’s Got Legs” might be premature, but Broadway’s Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is already strutting to $1M+ at the weekly box office, becoming one of the season’s most promising productions.
In its second week of previews, Tina was a sell-out at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, grossing $1,386,360 for seven previews. With an average paid admission of $134, Tina hit 96% of its $1.5M potential.
Starring Adrienne Warren in the title role, Tina was a hit in London and seems to be carrying plenty of that good will to Broadway. Opening night is set for Nov. 7.
Tina‘s total helped keep Broadway from slipping more than a tiny 1.6% last week: Total receipts for the 34 Broadway productions for the week ending Oct. 20 were $34,644,583. Total attendance was 286,802, a barely noticeable bump of 1.4% over the previous week.
Another new arrival hit the right notes on Broadway last week: David Byrne’s American Utopia, opening last night to excellent reviews, took in $618,120 last week at the Hudson, dropping a bit from the previous week (press and opening night comps a factor), but still hitting 82% of potential. Expect Byrne’s numbers to jump on next week’s roster.
Though none of Broadway’s other recent arrivals could match the mighty Tina, Freestyle Love Supreme continued doing more than fine at the Booth, grossing $768,239, a solid 82% of potential.
Percy Jackson musical The Lightning Thief opened at the Longacre on Oct. 16, and while press comps might have stolen some thunder, press reviews likely did more harm. The show grossed only 28% of its potential, taking $241,742. Attendance was just above the half-of-capacity mark.
The Sound Inside, the rapturously reviewed Adam Rapp play starring Mary-Louise Parker, opened Oct. 17 at Studio 54, bringing in $489,910, less than half of potential. This one could be a tough sell, but those reviews should help in coming weeks.
On the non-profit side, The Rose Tattoo at the Roundabout’s American Airlines opened Oct. 15 to mostly good reviews, and filled 97% of seats for seven performances. With comps and subscription discounts, the Marisa Tomei-starrer grossed $401,815, about 70% of potential.
In previews at the Ethel Barrymore, The Inheritance, the two-part updated re-imagining of E.M. Forster’s Howards End directed by The Crown‘s Stephen Daldry, remained on a shortened pre-opening schedule, grossing $468,150 for six performances (two of Part 1, four of Part 2). This one will be picking up plenty of buzz as it nears its Nov. 17 opening.
Among last season’s offerings, Beetlejuice continued building an increasingly popular run at the Winter Garden, filling 98% of seats and topping $1M in receipts for the second consecutive week.
Season to date, Broadway has grossed $679,577,763, down about 7% year to year. Total attendance to date is 5,649,799, off about 1% from last season at this time.
All figures courtesy of the trade group Broadway League.