Broadway had its best week since December 2019, likely due to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, as two musicals experienced their highest-grossing weeks ever.
For the week ending Nov. 27, the 33 productions on Broadway grossed $37,475,773, an increase of 19%. Capacity was at 82%, a decrease of 0.96%.
“The Phantom of the Opera” had its highest-grossing week ever, earning $2,241,317, an increase of 26%. Capacity remained above 100%. On Tuesday, the history-making musical announced an extension through April 16, 2023, after having previously announced a closing date of Feb. 18.
“MJ” broke the house record at the Neil Simon Theatre for the ninth time. The new musical earned $1,958,177, an increase of 16% from last week. Capacity was above 100%.
The top-three highest-grossing productions were “The Music Man,” “The Lion King” and “Hamilton.” Sixteen productions earned more than $1 million and of those, five brought in more than $2 million. Ten shows played to 95% capacity or greater while 11 saw a capacity of 70% or less.
Many long-running family-friendly shows saw significant box office increases, including “Aladdin” (up 53%), “Beetlejuice” (up 38%), “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” (up 64%), “The Lion King” (up 44%) and “Wicked” (up 43%).
A handful of newly opened productions also had strong weeks at the box office. “A Christmas Carol,” “Almost Famous” and “Kimberly Akimbo” all saw monetary increases of at least 17%.
However, some newer productions continued to struggle. “Leopoldstadt,” “The Piano Lesson” and “Topdog/Underdog” all saw double-digit gross decreases.
“A Christmas Carol” opened on Nov. 21 and “KPOP” officially opened on Nov. 27. “Ain’t No Mo’ ” “Ohio State Murders,” “Some Like It Hot” and “A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical” remained in previews.
For a complete look at this week’s Broadway grosses, visit Broadway Business.
