Broadway Box Office Slips To $27M; Glenda Jackson’s ‘King Lear’ & Temptations Musical Arrive

When Glenda Jackson’s King Lear and the new Temptations jukebox musical arrive on Broadway in the same week, the fledgling spring season has officially kicked into gear. Still, box office overall remained in cold-weather mode, dropping nearly 10% from the previous week to $27,159,271.

Attendance for the 31 productions – two more shows than the previous week – slipped about 3% to 245,665.

Last week’s newcomers got off to good starts. Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations, at the Imperial Theatre, took in $472,627 of a potential $539,894 for three previews, with attendance at 4,164. Opens March 21.

King Lear, starring Jackson in the title role, directed by Sam Gold and with an original score by Philip Glass, played three previews at the Cort, grossing $259,024, about 76% of potential, with attendance of 2,800 at 89% of capacity. Opens April 4.

Also in previews: Be More Chill at the Lyceum was at 84% of capacity, grossing $559,274 of a potential $911,288. Opening night is March 10. And Kiss Me Kate at Studio 54 filled 96% of its seats, grossing $640,332. Opens March 14.

At standing room – or near enough, with attendance at 98% of capacity or better – were Aladdin, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Network, The Book of Mormon, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Ain’t Too Proud nearly made the list, with 97% of seats filled.

Season to date, Broadway has taken in $1,404,694,595, a 15% boost year to year. Attendance of 11,093,275 was up 11%.

All figures courtesy of the trade group Broadway League.