Broadway Box Office Booms: Top Shows Earn Millions

Broadway's theatrical landscape is thriving, with recent previews and openings drawing impressive crowds and revenue. The highly anticipated play 'Other Desert Cities,' boasting a cast including Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Allison Janney, launched its previews with a remarkable sum of close to $1.9 million. This strong debut was bolstered by an average ticket price of $275, the highest on Broadway last week, at the Hudson Theatre. Another new production, Billy Crystal's solo show '860,' inspired by his personal experience with wildfires, also commenced previews, securing $854,574 over five performances with an average ticket price of $159.

Leading the weekly grosses, 'Hamilton' continued its reign with $2.7 million in earnings. 'Other Desert Cities' followed closely, with 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' earning $1.7 million. Other popular productions like 'MJ' ($1.6 million) and 'The Lion King' ($1.5 million) also featured in the top earners. Adding to the vibrant theater scene, 'School Girls; Or The African Mean Girls Play' opened to positive reviews and generated $351,072 in its initial week. 'The Imaginary Invalid,' starring Bill Irwin and Rachel Bloom, also showed strong audience engagement in its second week of previews.