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New York– When will “War Horse” hit $1 million?
That was the biggest question in Week 12 (Aug. 15-21), which didn’t produce much in the way of trends. Lincoln Center Theater’s hit play is posting stellar sales ($995,750), without a star-driven marquee and was one of only a few productions on the boards not to see sales slip. Meanwhile, another play that bowed in the spring, “Jerusalem,” posted the biggest gain of the week, jumping a whopping $125,000 (or 37%) to $465,280. Procrastinators fueled that spike, with the hefty bump of last-minute biz coming just prior to the show’s closing. Latest addition “Follies” ($759,958) upticked a bit, although not enough to give a sense yet of whether it’s picking up some B.O. momentum. Otherwise, almost every production on the Rialto posted a decline in a continuation of the slowdown that often occurs in August. Even ultra-hot Tony winner “The Book of Mormon” ($1,274,244) slipped a bit, although just barely. “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” ($1,567,344) dropped more than $150,000, which might prove a worrisome indicator of the tuner’s post-Labor Day prospects, given its much-publicized running costs. Overall sales came in at $20.1 million for 24 shows on the boards, down from $20.9 million the prior frame. Attendance was 82%, with average paid attendance hitting a robust $92.25. The 21 musicals grossed $18,338,065 for 91.3% of the Broadway total, with attendance of 198,027 at 81.3% capacity and average paid admission of $92.60. The three plays grossed $1,741,759 for 8.7% of the Broadway total, with attendance of 19,634 at 90.7% capacity and average paid admission of $88.71. – Gordon Cox and Robert Voris
