Broadway Box Office Slips as Snowstorm Forces Cancellations and Hits Attendance
Broadway box office takings took a sharp hit last week as a major snowstorm swept through New York City, forcing multiple cancellations and dampening audience turnout across the industry.
Overall grosses fell by close to 14 percent, with total attendance down 9 percent week on week. Ten productions cancelled a total of 13 performances on Sunday alone, while the remaining 21 shows pressed ahead despite hazardous conditions and a state of emergency declared in parts of the city.
Among the productions cancelling performances were & Juliet, Aladdin, All Out: Comedy About Ambition, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Mamma Mia!, MJ, Ragtime, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, The Book of Mormon, and The Lion King.
Despite most shows continuing to perform, attendance was clearly affected, particularly on Sunday, as audiences stayed away amid treacherous travel conditions.
Some productions attempted to soften the blow by offering last minute discounts. Bug, starring Carrie Coon, announced a $45 flat price on remaining matinee tickets. Even so, the production saw its grosses fall by $31,000 compared with the previous week, with attendance slipping slightly to 92 percent.
The decision by many shows to continue performing, and in some cases to cancel with little notice, drew criticism from Broadway performers on social media. Several actors raised concerns about being expected to travel during the storm, particularly those commuting from New Jersey where public transport services were suspended.
At the top of the weekly box office, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child remained the highest grossing show, despite also recording the biggest financial drop. After cancelling one performance, the production fell $528,620 from the prior week, though it still brought in $2.1 million with 96 percent attendance. The Lion King followed closely, down $509,980 after cancelling two performances on Sunday.
Hamilton ranked next with $1.9 million, playing all eight scheduled performances and maintaining a robust 99 percent attendance. Wicked grossed $1.8 million, while Mamma Mia! and Chess each posted $1.4 million, despite Mamma Mia cancelling one performance.
Amid the weather related downturn, there was brighter news for The Outsiders, which announced it had fully recouped its $22 million capitalization as of the week ending December 28, 2025. The production, winner of the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical, is the first show from the 2023 to 2024 season to reach recoupment.
Another title from that season, Hell’s Kitchen, has reported that it will have recouped approximately 60 percent of its capitalization by its final Broadway performance on February 22, with further returns expected from touring. The Great Gatsby, the other remaining show from the same season, has yet to announce recoupment.
While Broadway weathered the storm with most curtains still rising, the figures underline how vulnerable the industry remains to sudden disruptions, particularly during the quieter winter months.
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