Good Night, and Good Luck yet again broke its own record for highest weekly gross for a Broadway play, bringing in $4.245 million last week, as the production wraps up its run.
The play, starring George Clooney, is set to end its run June 8, with a live broadcast of the show airing on CNN on June 7. The show has been playing to 100 percent capacity throughout.
Othello, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Denzel Washington, followed with $3.5 million. Wicked followed with $2.3 million, then The Lion King and Glengarry Glen Ross, both with just above $2 million, even though Glengarry played 7 performances and The Lion King played 8.
The Tony Awards ceremony is also set to take place June 8, with live performances from Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Maybe Happy Ending, Operation Mincemeat, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, Sunset Blvd., Just In Time and Real Women Have Curves. The hope for many productions is that the performances, and the potential award wins, can boost their box office tallies and extend their Broadway runs.
Last week, many shows saw a downturn in their grosses with total industry gross down 5 percent and attendance down 2.5 percent.
Exceptions included Maybe Happy Ending, which saw its grosses increase $13,000 from the prior week, Purpose, which was up close to $6,000 from the prior week, Sunset Blvd, up close to $200,000, and Othello, which saw its grosses shoot up more than $222,000 from the prior week.
The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Sarah Snook, also saw its grosses up more than $360,000, as the show returned to an eight-show week after a previously scheduled six-show week.
Call Me Izzy, the one-woman show starring Jean Smart, and a newcomer to the boards, played its first seven-show week last week, bringing in an increased total of $467,848 but seeing its capacity fall to 67 percent from 94 percent during the first two previews.
