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Celebrity casting lifts Titanique and Oh, Mary! to Broadway highs
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Broadway box office results showed strong gains for several productions, particularly those benefiting from celebrity casting or new performers. Titanique ended its limited run with a record $1.3 million week, while Oh, Mary! rose to $1.5 million after Bowen Yang began playing Mary Todd Lincoln, highlighting audiences’ willingness to pay more for star appearances.
Hamilton was the week’s top earner, followed by The Lion King at nearly $1.8 million and MJ at $1.6 million. Titanique played to almost 99% capacity with an average ticket price of $127, while Oh, Mary!’s average price rose from $160 to $212 and capacity reached 99%; Wicked earned $1.3 million, Schmigadoon! exceeded $1 million and The Lost Boys reached $1.1 million. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child fell by more than $570,000 to just under $1 million during Tom Felton’s scheduled absence.
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In short
- Titanique closed with a record $1.3 million week.
- Bowen Yang lifted Oh, Mary! to $1.5 million.
- Celebrity absences also caused sharp box-office declines.
How this story developed
- 2 months ago Cast changes extended beyond the prominently reported arrivals and departures, with multiple Broadway productions introducing new performers and reporting corresponding revenue movements, indicating that audience demand for fresh talent operates across the theatre district.
- 2 months ago The pattern of star-driven ticket sales extended to multiple productions in the post-Labour Day resurgence, with Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys both showing improved revenues whilst Yang's 15 September debut at Oh, Mary! was mirrored by the corresponding collapse at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child during Tom Felton's scheduled absence.
- 2 months ago Bowen Yang's casting as Mary Todd Lincoln drove Oh, Mary! to £1.5 million in weekly earnings whilst Titanique concluded its limited run with £1.3 million in record results, demonstrating audiences' strong appetite for celebrity-fronted productions on Broadway.
Full account
Broadway's box office achieved a notable uplift during the week ending 20 September, with revenues increasing by 8 per cent compared to the previous period. The broader market benefited from the approaching autumn season, combined with several high-profile cast changes that generated considerable audience interest and ticket demand across the theatrical marketplace.
Two productions in particular capitalised on notable casting developments. Oh, Mary!, a biographical drama centring on Mary Todd Lincoln, recorded revenues exceeding $1.5 million following Bowen Yang's assumption of the title role, with average ticket prices ascending substantially to approximately $212—a leap of some $52 from the preceding week. The production achieved sell-out status at multiple performances. Meanwhile, several other productions similarly leveraged fresh ensemble members to drive attendance, though reporting on these varied between sources.
Titanique, the musical pastiche combining the narrative of the 1997 film with compositions by Celine Dion, concluded its limited Broadway engagement with its strongest commercial performance to date, grossing approximately $1.35 million during its final week whilst operating at 99 per cent capacity. The production, which had premiered in April and received four Tony Award nominations, departed the stage having achieved sustained commercial success throughout its limited run. Other significant earners during the period included Hamilton, The Lion King, and MJ, which collectively formed the primary revenue drivers for the week.
The broader Broadway marketplace displayed modest dynamism, with aggregate grosses for the 26 productions on stage reaching $27.07 million. Importantly, however, season-to-date figures revealed that revenues remained approximately 6 per cent below the equivalent period from the previous year, suggesting that whilst individual productions benefited from casting changes and final-week momentum, the overall market continued to experience softer conditions than previously recorded.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
Source 1 characterises Oh, Mary! as the 'fourth highest-grossing show', whilst Source 2 explicitly ranks it among the top five earners alongside Hamilton, The Lion King, MJ and Titanique
Source 1 emphasises the negative impact of celebrity absence (Tom Felton's scheduled departure from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), whilst Source 2 focuses predominantly on positive audience responses to celebrity arrivals and debuts
Source 2 provides comprehensive Broadway aggregate data and season-to-date comparisons, whilst Source 1 concentrates on individual show performance without broader market context
Source 1 reports Oh, Mary! at $1.5 million and Titanique at $1.3 million; Source 2 supplies more precise figures of $1.517 million and $1.347 million respectively
Source 2 covers additional shows not mentioned in Source 1, including Chicago, Buena Vista Social Club, and School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play
Explained simply
Broadway's box office refers to the weekly ticket sales figures for theatrical productions, which are closely tracked as a measure of audience interest and financial success. These figures matter because they determine whether shows continue running, expand, or close, shaping which productions stay on stage and which disappear. The revenue generated also influences theatre decisions about casting, scheduling, and future productions.
Broadway theatres frequently change their cast members, sometimes rotating performers or introducing well-known actors for limited engagements. When audiences are particularly interested in a performer, ticket sales surge and venues can charge higher prices, as more people want to see that specific person perform. This dynamic reflects how heavily audience choice depends on who is on stage, not just what the show is.
This week's box office figures provided a clear illustration of casting's financial impact, with several shows experiencing notable swings following performer changes. The variation in grosses between shows with and without particular cast members underscores how substantially Broadway's business model relies on star power to drive audience attendance and revenue.
Coverage · 2 sources
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “Broadway Box Office: ‘Titanique’ Hits New High, ‘Oh, Mary!’ Jumps As Bowen Yang Takes Over”.