25 of the Highest-Grossing Broadway Shows Ever
New York City is home to many amazing landmarks, but for theater fans, nothing compares to Broadway. The 41 active Broadway theaters — i.e., Studio 54, the Hirschfeld Theater, the Ambassador Theatre — have put this part of town on the map as an international performing arts destination.
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Many of the most talented artists of all time have graced Broadway stages, starring in shows like “The Lion King,” “Wicked” and “Jersey Boys.” Of course, as with all shows, some are much more successful than others.
GOBankingRates conducted a study to find out which Broadway shows of past and present have been the most profitable. Many are still active, so next time you’re in the Big Apple — when theaters reopen post-pandemic — you’ll want to add at least one to your itinerary.
Think you can guess which shows made the cut? Drumroll, please — here’s a look at the 25 highest-grossing Broadway shows of all time.
Last updated: April 1, 2021
25. ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Part One and Two’
Total Gross: $174.10 million
Average Ticket Price: $132
Seats Sold: 1.32 million
Total Performances: 821
Original Broadway Run: April 22, 2018–present
Revival Run(s): N/A
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24. ‘Come From Away’
Total Gross: $174.94 million
Average Ticket Price: $129
Seats Sold: 1.35 million
Total Performances: 1,276
Original Broadway Run: March 12, 2017–present
Revival Run(s): N/A
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23. ‘Billy Elliot: The Musical’
Total Gross: $183.51 million
Average Ticket Price: $102
Seats Sold: 1.80 million
Total Performances: 1,352
Original Broadway Run: Nov. 13, 2008–Jan. 8, 2012
Revival Run(s): N/A
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22. ‘Matilda the Musical’
Total Gross: $198.20 million
Average Ticket Price: $94
Seats Sold: 2.10 million
Total Performances: 1,591
Original Broadway Run: April 11, 2013–Jan. 1, 2017
Revival Run(s): N/A
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21. 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’
Total Gross: $212.41 million
Average Ticket Price: $101
Seats Sold: 2.10 million
Total Performances: 1,248
Original Broadway Run: June 14, 2011–Jan. 4, 2014
Revival Run(s): N/A
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20. ‘Dear Evan Hansen’
Total Gross: $241.10 million
Average Ticket Price: $175
Seats Sold: 1.40 million
Total Performances: 1,384
Original Broadway Run: Dec. 4, 2016–present
Revival Run(s): N/A
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19. 'Hairspray’
Total Gross: $252.20 million
Average Ticket Price: $73
Seats Sold: 3.42 million
Total Performances: 2,673
Original Broadway Run: Aug. 15, 2002–Jan. 4, 2009
Revival Run(s): N/A
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18. ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’
Total Gross: $270 million
Average Ticket Price: $117
Seats Sold: 2.30 million
Total Performances: 2,476
Original Broadway Run: Jan. 12, 2014–Oct. 27, 2019
Revival Run(s): N/A
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17. ‘Rent’
Total Gross: $274.25 million
Average Ticket Price: $54
Seats Sold: 5.03 million
Total Performances: 5,139
Original Broadway Run: April 29, 1996–Sept. 7, 2008
Revival Run(s): N/A
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16. ‘The Producers’
Total Gross: $288.40 million
Average Ticket Price: $78
Seats Sold: 3.70 million
Total Performances: 2,535
Original Broadway Run: April 19, 2001–April 22, 2007
Revival Run(s): N/A
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15. ‘Mary Poppins’
Total Gross: $294.56 million
Average Ticket Price: $75
Seats Sold: 3.90 million
Total Performances: 2,649
Original Broadway Run: Nov. 16, 2006–March 3, 2013
Revival Run(s): N/A
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14. ‘Kinky Boots’
Total Gross: $319 million
Average Ticket Price: $105
Seats Sold: 3 million
Total Performances: 2,539
Original Broadway Run: April 4, 2013–April 7, 2019
Revival Run(s): N/A
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13. ‘Miss Saigon’
Total Gross: $322.10 million
Average Ticket Price: $28
Seats Sold: 6.60 million
Total Performances: 4,475
Original Broadway Run: April 11, 1991–Jan. 28, 2001
Revival Run(s): March 23, 2017–Jan. 14, 2018
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12. ‘Les Misérables’
Total Gross: $406.30 million
Average Ticket Price: $23
Seats Sold: 8.93 million
Total Performances: 8,217
Original Broadway Run: March 12, 1987–May 18, 2003
Revival Run(s): Nov. 9, 2006–Jan. 6, 2008 & March 23, 2014–Sept. 4, 2016
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11. ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Total Gross: $429.16 million
Average Ticket Price: $50
Seats Sold: 7.61 million
Total Performances: 5,508
Original Broadway Run: April 18, 1994–July 29, 2007
Revival Run(s): N/A
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10. ‘Cats’
Total Gross: $432 million
Average Ticket Price: $20
Seats Sold: 9.33 million
Total Performances: 8,109
Original Broadway Run: Oct. 7, 1982–Sept. 10, 2000
Revival Run(s): July 31, 2016–Dec. 30, 2017
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9. ‘Aladdin’
Total Gross: $461.91 million
Average Ticket Price: $108
Seats Sold: 4.27 million
Total Performances: 2,527
Original Broadway Run: March 20, 2014-present
Revival Run(s): N/A
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8. ‘Jersey Boys’
Total Gross: $558.42 million
Average Ticket Price: $107
Seats Sold: 5.20 million
Total Performances: 4,680
Original Broadway Run: Nov. 6, 2005–Jan. 15, 2017
Revival Run(s): N/A
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7. ‘Mamma Mia!’
Total Gross: $624.40 million
Average Ticket Price: $82
Seats Sold: 7.60 million
Total Performances: 5,772
Original Broadway Run: Oct. 18, 2001–Sept. 15, 2015
Revival Run(s): N/A
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6. ‘Hamilton’
Total Gross: $649.90 million
Average Ticket Price: $249
Seats Sold: 2.61 million
Total Performances: 1,945
Original Broadway Run: Aug. 6, 2015–present
Revival Run(s): N/A
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5. ‘The Book of Mormon’
Total Gross: $659.60 million
Average Ticket Price: $160
Seats Sold: 4.10 million
Total Performances: 3,776
Original Broadway Run: March 24, 2011–present
Revival Run(s): N/A
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4. ‘Chicago’
Total Gross: $681.10 million
Average Ticket Price: $73
Seats Sold: 9.50 million
Total Performances: 10,676
Original Broadway Run: June 3, 1975–Aug. 27, 1977
Revival Run(s): Nov. 14, 1996–present
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3. ‘The Phantom of the Opera’
Total Gross: $1.30 billion
Average Ticket Price: $54
Seats Sold: 19.33 million
Total Performances: 13,386
Original Broadway Run: Jan. 26, 1988–present
Revival Run(s): N/A
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2. ‘Wicked’
Total Gross: $1.40 billion
Average Ticket Price: $112
Seats Sold: 12.20 million
Total Performances: 6,861
Original Broadway Run: Oct. 20, 2003–present
Revival Run(s): N/A
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1. ‘The Lion King’
Total Gross: $1.68 billion
Average Ticket Price: $107
Seats Sold: 15.71 million
Total Performances: 9,335
Original Broadway Run: Nov. 13, 1997–present
Revival Run(s): N/A
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Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates used BroadwayWorld.com and the Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) — which both source their data from The Broadway League — to find the top 25 highest-grossing Broadway productions of all time. For each production, GOBankingRates found: (1) show name; (2) total gross for original runs and revivals as of March 15, 2020; (3) average ticket price; (4) seats sold; (5) total performances including previews; as well as (6) the dates of the original run of the productions and any revivals. All data is up to date as of Feb. 17, 2021, and only includes data for the Broadway productions of each show — national tours and other such runs were not included in final data.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 25 of the Highest-Grossing Broadway Shows Ever
