‘The Phantom Of The Opera’ Ticket Sales Soar As Countdown To Broadway Closing Hits Two-Week Mark

With two weeks left in its 35-year Broadway run, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera posted a huge box office gross last week of $3,247,106, nearly 10% of Broadway’s total take for the seven-day period ending April 2.

The beloved musical – which, Lloyd Webber has suggested, might well find its way back to Broadway at some point in the future – also topped the Broadway roster in average ticket price ($248.57) and top premium price ($697). There wasn’t even a close second – Hamilton was the runner-up, with an average ticket price of $186.11 and a top premium of $449.

Phantom will depart the Majestic Theatre, its longtime Broadway home, on April 16.

More recent Broadway arrivals – much more recent – also did some brisk springtime business, with Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street selling out its seven performances for the week with a $1,734,930 take; and Parade a virtual sell-out (99.3% of capacity) with receipts of $1,158,493.

In all, the 31 Broadway productions grossed a total $34,410,203 for the week, a bump of 5% over the previous week. Attendance was 270,934, up 4%.

Musical New York, New York, in previews at the St. James ahead of an April 26 opening, filled 89% of available seats, grossing $870,814 with a middling $85 average ticket price.

Some of the new shows filled seats with comparatively low ticket prices. Life of Pi, which opened at the Schoenfeld on March 30, grossed $500,068 at 93% of capacity, with an average ticket of $67.86. Shucked, the new musical opening tonight, sold 98% of seats at the Nederlander with preview pricing keeping the average ticket to $52.64 (total gross was $482,196).

Fat Ham, previewing ahead of an April 12 opening, grossed $368,246, at 96.27% of capacity at the American Airlines Theatre, $67.92 average ticket. Camelot, previewing at the non-prof Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont ahead of an April 13 opening, took in $890,710, at 95.68% with average ticket $111.14.

Also in previews: Peter Pan Goes Wrong, opening April 19, filling 75.27% of seats at the Barrymore, grossing $449,083 with an average ticket of $70.96. The Thanksgiving Play, non-prof Second Stage’s play at the Hayes, grossed $190,756 (79.82% capacity, $51.42 average ticket).

Season to date, Broadway has grossed $1,342,680,567, with total attendance of 10,386,209 at 88% of capacity.

All figures courtesy of The Broadway League. For complete box office listings, visit the League’s website.