Broadway Box Office Climbs To $35M; ‘Mockingbird’, ‘Moulin’ Set Records As ‘Tina’ Arrives

Greg Evans

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With Broadway’s fall wave of new productions mostly still finding their seats last week, several of the more established – recently established, but established – smashes kept doing what they do, selling out and breaking records. To Kill a Mockingbird, Moulin Rouge! and Hadestown raked it in, helping Broadway’s overall box office during the week ending Oct. 13 jumped 17% over the previous week.

In all, box office for Broadway’s 34 productions totaled $35,212,990, a fraction below June’s post-Tony season high, with last week’s attendance up 8% from the previous week to 282,646.

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Contributing to the fall’s strongest week yet was To Kill A Mockingbird, the Aaron Sorkin adaption of Harper Lee’s novel, now 49 weeks into its run and posting a best-ever $2,244,415, breaking its own house record at the Shubert Theatre for the ninth time and, with total gross sales surpassing $100M, secure in its spot as the highest grossing American play in Broadway history. (The production’s new cast is currently in rehearsals, with Ed Harris taking over from Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch on November 5).

On the musical side, Moulin Rouge! The Musical had its best week since performances began in June, grossing $2,203,609 and, like Mockingbird, breaking its own house record at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Hadestown, winner of the 2019 Best Musical Tony, posted its own high of $1,523,311 at the Walter Kerr.

Among the recent arrivals, David Byrne’s American Utopia, in previews at the Hudson, took in a hefty $753,709, 84% of potential, with seats going for an average $141 and filling up at 94% of capacity. Freestyle Love Supreme, the improv-rap show, grossed $765,651, 81% of potential at the Booth, with average ticket prices the same as Byrne’s, and attendance at 88% of capacity.

Also in the house, at last, was Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, arriving at the Lunt-Fontanne after wowing London, playing just a single Broadway preview last week – and killing it. Tina grossed $212,998, 98% of potential, and sold 100% of its 1,476 seats at a proud $144 average. Adrienne Warren plays the star, with an opening night set for Nov. 7.

Linda Vista, the Tracy Letts play at Second Stage’s Hayes Theatre, opened to strong reviews and 88% of seats filled, but with press and opening night comps, along with Second Stage’s subscription rates, the play took in just $168,097, about 29% of potential.

Season to date, Broadway has grossed $644,933,180, down about 8% year to year. Total attendance to date is 5,362,997, off about 1% from last season at this time.

All figures courtesy of the trade group Broadway League.

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