Broadway Box Office Cools as Holiday Surge Fades, With Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Leading the Pack

Broadway box office totals cooled last week as the holiday surge faded, with industry grosses, attendance, and average ticket prices all declining from their seasonal highs.

Overall grosses fell 34 percent compared with the previous week, while attendance dropped nearly 13 percent. The average ticket price also slid by around $40, reflecting softer demand following the New Year. The industry operated with 31 productions, down from 33 the week before, after Waiting for Godot and Beetlejuice both played their final performances in early January.

Despite the broader slowdown, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child retained its position as Broadway’s top-grossing production. The play brought in $2.6 million at the Lyric Theatre, playing to nearly full capacity. While that figure was down from the $3.3 million posted during the peak holiday week, average ticket prices remained strong at $204. The current run stars Tom Felton, reprising his connection to the franchise.

Close behind was Hamilton, which grossed $2.2 million, followed by Wicked with $2 million. Mamma Mia! posted $1.78 million, while The Lion King followed at $1.7 million.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow also saw grosses dip from holiday highs. The play continued to sell out performances, maintaining 100 percent attendance, but a roughly $50 drop in average ticket price resulted in weekly grosses of $1.6 million. While still among the production’s strongest weeks to date, the figure was about $340,000 below the previous week’s total.

Elsewhere, Bug, starring Carrie Coon, officially opened on January 8 to largely positive reviews. However, its weekly gross fell by nearly $130,000 due to a comped opening night and the cancellation of two preview performances ahead of opening.

In contrast, Liberation reversed its holiday struggles with a significant upswing. The production increased attendance to 86 percent from 65 percent at the James Earl Jones Theatre, while grosses rose by $200,000 to $639,035, marking the highest weekly total of its run. Liberation, which examines the formation of a second-wave feminist group, is scheduled to close on February 1. The theatre will then host The Fear of 13, starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson, beginning in March.

As Broadway settles into the post-holiday period, producers are watching closely to see which shows can sustain momentum as seasonal demand normalises.