Much Ado About Nothing made a formidable entrance on Broadway, grossing $358,262 from its first preview performance last week.
The Jamie Lloyd revival, led by Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell, filled the Winter Garden Theatre to 100 percent capacity for the performance. Its $238 average ticket price was the second highest on Broadway for the week.
The production transferred from London and is scheduled to open Nov. 19. Although its debut gross reflects only one performance, the early result puts the play in a strong position: If ticket prices remain at that level, Much Ado About Nothing could become one of Broadway’s top weekly grossers.
A Crowded Broadway Leaderboard
For now, Other Desert Cities remains at the top of the box-office rankings. The play earned $2.35 million last week and posted Broadway’s highest average ticket price at $301. That figure is also the production’s highest average to date.
Other Desert Cities stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Allison Janney and Joe Keery.
Hamilton followed as the week’s second-highest earner with $2.31 million. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child brought in $1.63 million, while MJ grossed $1.61 million and The Lion King collected $1.56 million.
Billy Crystal’s solo show, 860, ranked sixth with $1.35 million. That total came despite three press performances featuring a large number of complimentary tickets.
Another play drawing full houses was A Few Good Men, starring Bradley Whitford and Tom Blyth. The production opened on Broadway last week and grossed close to $1.3 million while playing to 100 percent capacity.
Its weekly total included a fully comped opening night, along with several complimentary press tickets distributed in the lead-up to the opening. The production opened to mixed reviews.
Overall Business Slips
The strong individual performances came during a softer week for Broadway as a whole. Despite the arrival of an additional show, total grosses declined 13 percent and attendance fell 4 percent.
The industry was competing for audiences during a week that included Halloween and the New York City Marathon.
Two other new productions experienced attendance declines as they moved toward their official openings.
Downstate expanded its schedule from six performances to eight during its second Broadway week. Attendance slipped from 94 percent to 87 percent, and the play grossed $275,085. Its opening is set for Nov. 15.
The new musical Wanted also saw attendance move lower, falling from 93 percent to 82 percent. Its weekly gross declined to $508,919 ahead of its scheduled Nov. 8 opening.
ShowBiz Take
Much Ado About Nothing has only one Broadway performance on the books, so its long-term box-office position is not yet established. Even so, a sold-out first preview, a $358,262 single-performance gross and the week’s second-highest average ticket price give the Hiddleston-Atwell revival a notable opening benchmark.
That performance stands out even more against the broader weekly downturn. While total Broadway revenue and attendance both fell, the production entered the market at full capacity and with an average ticket price surpassed only by Other Desert Cities.
The next test will be whether Much Ado About Nothing can maintain those ticket prices and capacity levels as it adds performances and approaches its Nov. 19 opening at the Winter Garden Theatre. Its first preview delivered a major gross, but a full week of performances will provide a clearer measure of where the revival fits among Broadway’s biggest earners.
What Happens Next?
Broadway’s new-season picture will continue to develop through several imminent openings. Wanted is scheduled to open Nov. 8, followed by Downstate on Nov. 15 and Much Ado About Nothing on Nov. 19.