Broadway Smashes Records to End 2016
A lot of people have talked about being glad that 2016 is over. It’s been a year full of infamous events and dismaying news. However, for those on Broadway, the year ended with a bang and made everyone feel optimistic going forward in 2017. A number of records were set and there was a box office boom to end the year.
Reports from New York show that almost all of the 33 shows playing as the year came to a close did very well. All told, they brought in about $49,531,578 in that one week. The Christmas weekend had been a letdown, but the sales jumped by an incredible $19 million in just a single week. When looking at the same week from the end of 2015, the box office numbers were up by $6 million.
Why did it happen? A lot of factors fell just right. The light attendance the week before may have helped, if people put off going. The mild weather also helped; in years with a harsh winter storm, people tend to stay inside. Prices were at a premium, which also increased earnings, and the plays offered extra performances since people were out of work and school for the holidays.
Some of the shows set their own personal bests. For example, “Jersey Boys” put on nine shows that brought in $1,778,189. The show has never had that good of a week in its history, at least not on Broadway. “Chicago” also did very well, earning $1,248,473. It was also performed nine times. That’s the best week “Chicago” has ever done, and it’s been on the stage for two decades.
Even shows that have performed well in the past did even better during this stellar week. “The Lion King” has been on Broadway for 19 years now, and it had never made $3 million in just one week — which it did in the last week of 2016. Like the other two noted above, there were nine shows in that week.
A few other shows that put up high marks were as follows:
— “Paramour” with $1,908,018.
— “Something Rotten!” with $1,478,302.
— “Matilda” with $1,902,366.
— “Waitress” with $1,331,954.
— “A Bronx Tale” with $1,293,145.
One show that went all out during the week was “The Illusionists.” It was performed as astounding 17 times, and it made $2,397,106.
With numbers like this in the books, you can see that 2017 should be a very good year for the theatre. Get your Broadway tickets from us today, and be part of the magic!
