Broadway Box Office Surges After Tony Awards

Broadway’s cash registers hit a high note in the first full week after the 78 th Tony Awards, with nearly every newly crowned winner posting eye-catching revenue gains — and one under-performing musical calling it quits.

‘Sunset Blvd.’ Leads the Charge

Jamie Lloyd’s noir-drenched revival of Sunset Blvd. recorded the steepest uptick, soaring more than $400 000 to $1.7 million for the week ending 15 June. Capacity climbed to 92 percent and the average ticket price leapt to $138, buoyed by Nicole Scherzinger’s Tony win and her show-stopping performance on the telecast.

Plays and Comedies Cash In

• Purpose — this year’s Best Play — logged its strongest frame yet at $636 381, roughly $100 000 above the previous week, as theatergoers lined up to see Tony-winning featured actress Kara Young.

• Oh Mary! missed the top play prize but trophies for star Cole Escola and director Sam Pinkleton sent the Lyceum Theatre comedy up $152 000 to $1.35 million, its twelfth house record since previews. The average ticket price hit a run-high $189.

• Five-time Tony victor Maybe Happy Ending added a more modest $77 000 yet still achieved a personal best of $1.2 million, helped by Best Musical laurels and Darren Criss’s leading-actor win.

One Show Announces Its Finale

Despite a performance slot on the broadcast, Real Women Have Curves failed to convert buzz into box-office muscle. Capacity slid to 63 percent and grosses fell to $365 252 — the lowest of its run — prompting producers to post a closing notice for 29 June at the James Earl Jones Theatre.

Star-Driven Hits Exit Stage Left

Two blockbuster limited engagements bowed out on Tony night and took plenty of ticket revenue with them:

• Othello, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, finished its 15-week run at the Barrymore Theatre on 8 June.

• Good Night and Good Luck, headlined by George Clooney, also played its final performance that evening.

With both big earners gone, Broadway’s aggregate gross slipped 14 percent from the prior week.

Top Five Grossers of the Week

1. Wicked – $2.34 million

2. Glengarry Glen Ross – $2.27 million

3. The Lion King – $2.09 million

4. Hamilton – $2.06 million

5. Sunset Blvd. – $1.70 million

The post-Tonys bump underscores the awards’ enduring power at the box office, even in a record-breaking season that has already cracked $1.89 billion in sales. With several winners still early in their runs, producers are betting that summer tourists will keep the confetti — and the cash — flying well into July.

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