On May 1 the annual Tony Award nominations were released, which always gives Broadway a bit of a boost as fans flock to check out the nominees; who knows whether it is the star of the show – one George Clooney – or the five Tony Award nominations that pushed it over the edge but the play “Good Night, and Good Luck” has set the record for the highest grossing play in a single week in history with a box office take of $4 million!
Just 17 of the 40 shows currently running made the Million Dollar Club last week with the top four shows bringing in over $2 million.
Clooney and company have worked their way to the top of the Club list since its opening and shows no signs of giving up the number one spot any time soon.
With the Tony nominations coming out on Thursday, Broadway has yet to feel the full impact of the announcement. In fact, Broadway box office receipts were even down a bit last week.
But one thing has surprised Broadway…the top plays are outgrossing the often more popular musicals!
The Million Dollar Club:
“Good Night, and Good Luck” – $4 million
“Othello” – $3.07 million
“Glengarry Glen Ross” – $2.33 million
“Wicked” – $2.23 million
“The Lion King” – less than $300 from reaching $2 million
“Hamilton”
“The Picture of Dorian Gray”
“Aladdin”
“MJ The Musical”
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
“The Outsiders”
“Just in Time”
“Gypsy”
“Death Becomes Her”
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Oh, Mary!”
“Sunset Boulevard”
Just over half – 21 or 40 – shows joined the 90 percent club las week with the top five shows bringing in at least 100 percent audience capacity.
The 90% Club:
“Just in Time”
“Good Night, and Good Luck”
“The Picture of Dorian Gray”
“Wicked”
“Othello”
“Oh, Mary!”
“The Outsiders”
“Glengarry Glen Ross”
“Maybe Happy Ending”
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Stephen Sondheim’s “Old Friends”
“The Lion King”
“John Proctor is the Villain”
“Operation Mincemeat”
“Pirates! The Penzance Musical”
“Hamilton”
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Aladdin”
“& Juliet”
“Hadestown”
“Purpose”