As Broadway's spring season kicks off, recent newcomers are drawing strong audiences and making quite an impression. Two shows had their opening nights during the week ending March 24, with promising results. An Enemy of the People, starring Jeremy Strong, Michael Imperioli, and Victoria Pedretti, played to standing room only crowds at Circle in the Square. The show received an impressive $898,353 in receipts, with attendance at 103% of seating capacity.
Another notable new arrival was Water For Elephants, a musical starring Grant Gustin at the Imperial. Despite a slight decrease in receipts from the previous week, the show still managed to gross $875,269. Opening night comps and press may have played a role in the slight dip. Attendance for the previews and regular performances was at a respectable 86% of capacity.
The Who's Tommy was in previews at the Nederlander, filling 93% of seats at the venue and grossing $822,391. Opening night for this show is scheduled for Thursday, March 28. The Outsiders, a new musical adaptation of the S.E. Hinton novel and Francis Ford Coppola film, was also in previews at the Jacobs. With 99% of seats filled, the show grossed $725,440 for seven previews. Opening night is set for April 11.
The Notebook musical, which opened on March 14 at the Schoenfeld, continued to perform well, with attendance at 99.7% of capacity. The show grossed $895,030, proving to be a virtual sell-out.
Lempicka, a new musical directed by Hadestown director Rachel Chavkin, began previews last week at the Longacre. Despite coming in with minimal name recognition, the show filled 96% of seats and grossed $395,859. The low ticket prices, with an average of $65.44, likely contributed to the strong attendance. Producers are hopeful that positive word-of-mouth will continue to drive audiences to the show.
In total, the 26 Broadway productions for the week ending March 24 grossed a combined $28,519,828, marking a 2% increase from the previous week. Attendance was up by 5%, with 229,911 attendees at 93% of capacity. Season to date, Broadway has grossed an impressive $1,248,081,547, with total attendance at 9,942,376 at 89% of capacity.
Broadway's spring season is off to a strong start, with new arrivals drawing in enthusiastic audiences and generating impressive box office numbers. Anticipation is high for upcoming shows, and producers are hopeful that positive momentum will continue throughout the season. With a mix of well-known names and fresh faces, Broadway continues to captivate audiences and thrive as a hub of creativity and entertainment.