Broadway has a lot to be thankful for this time of year, and an excellent start to the holiday season is arguably the biggest thing. Last week, a handful of shows set new box office records for their theaters, and others are rising up the ranks. Although nearly all productions, including Finding Neverland, Phantom of the Opera, Matilda, On Your Feet! and An American in Paris saw price increases following Black Friday sales, Hamilton saw the largest spike in ticket prices over the holiday weekend.
There was a huge shake up in the Top 10 list following the Thanksgiving holiday, and the biggest jumps are most likely due to a few special appearances during NBC's Thanksgiving Day Parade. School of Rock, the latest musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber, finished its third week of previews strong, with 97.6% capacity, and made it into the millionaire's club with a gross of just over $1.3 million. Also featured in the parade was Fiddler on the Roof. While the musical is a classic, it is not surprising that it finished its first full week of previews in the seven figures range, officially grossing $1,221,716 -- an impressive number for a tuner that has been on Broadway six times. Other Broadway shows that took a nice chunk of profit at the start of the holiday season are Finding Neverland, Phantom of the Opera, Matilda (which increased from the week prior by over $475,00), On Your Feet!, An American in Paris, and the standard top five productions: The Book of Mormon, Hamilton, Aladdin, Wicked and The Lion King.
Surprisingly, Disney musicals were minimally affected by the Black Friday sales, and deals all over Broadway didn't increase the demand for tickets for either The Lion King or Aladdin. Lion King tickets average $286, so there shouldn't be any concern of the production closing soon. However, Aladdin, although in the millionaires club, just doesn't have the demand that it should, as resale Aladdin tickets average $168. School of Rock and Fiddler on the Roof did see slight increases in their average prices, but not more than a few bucks in the end. Fiddler on the Roof and School of Rock tickets averaged $208 and $240, respectively, according to data provided by ticket aggregator TiqIQ. Fans who are looking to take in one of these great shows can find discounted NYC parking for Broadway on ParkWhiz.com.
Hamilton tickets increased $30 after the holiday weekend, and averages $647 on the secondary market, according to the TiqIQ database. Hamilton's continued success begs the question as to whether or not superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda is the driving force behind the demand, especially following the substantial press he has received in the last few months. Hamilton, which saw one of the more significant ticket boosts after the holiday, did not perform in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. While the time slots of the Thanksgiving Day Parade are a hugely coveted honor, the performances do not always indicate what shows are the most popular, or will drive the highest ticket sales.
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