Broadway Box Office Slides as ‘Pirates!’ Drops Anchor and ‘Wicked’ Flies Back to No. 1

Broadway’s summer season hit choppy water last week. Industry grosses fell seven per cent and attendance dipped four per cent after the exit of the high earning revival of Sunset Blvd.. The week of 27 July ended with overall box office of about 30.8 million dollars across 27 productions.

‘Wicked’ leads the pack again

Wicked reclaimed the top spot, conjuring 2 386 982 dollars at the Gershwin Theatre. The show filled 15 408 seats at an average paid admission of 154.92 dollars. Disney’s long running The Lion King followed with 2 324 312 dollars, while Hamilton edged close behind at 2 236 625 dollars as it approaches its ten year anniversary on Broadway. Rounding out the five were Aladdin with 1 610 886 dollars and MJ with 1 394 267 dollars.

A rousing farewell for ‘Pirates!’

Pirates! The Penzance Musical hoisted the Jolly Roger for the final time at the Todd Haimes Theatre on 27 July. The production posted its second best week ever, grossing 567 633 dollars and playing to more than full capacity thanks to limited standing room. Star Jinkx Monsoon will join Oh, Mary! on 4 August as Mary Todd Lincoln.

Steeper drops for ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Call Me Izzy’

With Billy Porter and Marisha Wallace newly installed as the Emcee and Sally Bowles, Cabaret saw grosses slip to 648 886 dollars and capacity ease to 82 per cent at the August Wilson. Call Me Izzy rebounded after Jean Smart’s return from injury, taking 426 978 dollars over eight performances and lifting capacity to 59 per cent at Studio 54.

Mid‑table movers

Death Becomes Her continued its strong first summer, drawing 1 251 355 dollars at the Lunt‑Fontanne. Limited engagement Maybe Happy Ending cracked seven figures with 1 382 284 dollars at the Belasco, while time‑twisting Stranger Things: The First Shadow held steady at 1 091 408 dollars in the Marquis. New entries on the leader board included Just in Time at 1 316 681 dollars and Oh, Mary! at 1 099 908 dollars, both of which out‑paced several long running titles.

Looking ahead

Industry watchers will monitor how August tourism offsets the loss of Pirates! and Sunset Blvd.. Hamilton’s milestone celebrations and Jinkx Monsoon’s arrival in Oh, Mary! could provide a late summer lift, but for now Broadway’s box office is treading water.