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‘Oh, Mary!’ Back To Sell-Out With Meg Stalter; ‘Ragtime’ Breaks House Record With $1.6M Gross – Broadway Box Office
Broadway box office rebounded sharply for the week ending 26 July, with takings across the 30 productions up around 13% on the previous week to reach $34,864,840, alongside a 7% rise in attendance to 273,061. The upturn suggests the industry has shaken off the usual post-4 July slowdown, boosted particularly by strong performances from Oh, Mary!, Ragtime and the closing week of Joe Turner's Come and Gone.
Oh, Mary! returned to near sell-out status at the Lyceum Theatre, taking $1,078,641 in Meg Stalter's first full week back after illness, while Ragtime broke its own house record with a $1,625,400 gross, the highest weekly figure in Lincoln Center Theater's history, ahead of its run ending on 16 August. Joe Turner's Come and Gone closed out its limited engagement with $1,183,148 at 99% capacity, and other sell-outs included Hamilton ($2,341,119), MJ ($1,933,319) and Death of a Salesman ($2,234,252). The Lion King topped the week's earners overall with $2,428,755, while The Rocky Horror Show posted the only notable downturn, falling $227,522 to $817,231. Season-to-date, Broadway has grossed $317,835,701, down about 7% on the same point last year.
In short
- Broadway grosses jumped 13% week-on-week to $34.86m.
- Ragtime set a new Lincoln Center Theater house record at $1.6m.
- Oh, Mary! sold out again as Meg Stalter returned full-time.
Explained simply
Broadway refers to the cluster of professional theatres in New York's theatre district. Weekly box office figures tracking ticket sales across these productions are closely monitored because they indicate the health of the theatrical industry and which shows are capturing audiences.
The theatre industry experiences predictable seasonal fluctuations, with summer attendance typically declining as audiences travel or take time away. The period immediately following the American Independence Day holiday in early July is traditionally one of the slowest for theatre attendance.
Broadway's mix includes long-running hits, revivals of classic productions, new plays and musicals, and shows built around particular performers. A show's box office success depends on various factors including its reputation, cast, marketing, and how long it has been running.
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