As theatergoers pay more for great shows on Broadway, ticket prices have risen for blockbuster Broadway plays.

The latest episode of the newest tv show reveals that audiences are eager to catch up with their lost time. CovidWave has slowed down a lot. All Broadway shows were closed on the 12th of March 2020 during the early stages of pandemic. Several shows never returned, but those that did, saw a staggered reopening in the fall —ending an unprecedented hiatus.

On Tuesday, the Broadway League published weekly box-office gross for Broadway musicals and plays. This was the first time that shows have resumed performing since. The Broadway League is Broadway’s trade association. It had been previously suspended that weekly practice after the shows started to run again in the fall and the winter.

These are the key points from the latest week’s figures, which concluded March 20, 2018.

• There are higher ticket prices and fewer discounts, particularly for blockbuster musicals – especially the more family oriented ones. “Aladdin,” “The Lion King” and “Wicked” – as well as the stalwart “The Phantom of the Opera” – are among the shows seeing a significantly higher average ticket price compared with March 2020.
• Even though tickets are expensive, the demand is high and there’s strong attendance. Numerous shows have sold out, or are nearly selling out. Sixteen of the 22 Broadway shows occupied at least 90% of the theaters.
• The weekly gross of 12 Broadway plays is more than $1,000,000 per week. Only a third were making that much before the pandemic. Two years earlier, however, shows were much more numerous: there were 30 productions that were still running just before the outbreak, and 10 of them were making at least $1,000,000 per week.
• Stars are a big draw for theatergoers. The revival of “The Music Man,” which debuted in February, features Hugh Jackman, X-Men’s star, and Broadway’s most prominent lady, Sutton Foster. The production made a record $3.5 million per week, with an average ticket cost of $283. They are the most impressive figures on the Great White Way. The average for “Hamilton” was $213. This show also had the highest grossing shows exceeding $2 million. Just under $213 was charged per ticket for the Neil Simon revival of “Plaza Suite,” which starred Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker and Sarah Jessica Parker. Only “Hamilton,” which was the only Broadway show that had a ticket average of over $200, saw a higher price before the pandemic.
• Also, take a look at the ticket prices of each show. The Music Man set the standard at $697 while Plaza Suite earned $549 and Hamilton at $449.

This year’s box-office figures and ticket prices are quite different to those of January and the holidays. The Christmas time weeks have been historically considered the most crucial weeks in the year for Broadway productions. This is when Broadway productions can command premium prices and generally play full-scale shows thanks to the holidays season.

The omicron surge again decimated Broadway business in 2021. However, the highly contagious virus was still able to infect Broadway musicians and actors as well as theater staff members. Some Broadway shows had to pause for a few days – or in some cases weeks – because so many in the cast and crew tested positive. The virus made January a difficult month to sell houses. This meant that audiences were less likely to attend.

The Broadway League published the latest week’s data and also all previous weeks data. This was done in response to the fact that Broadway had not been able to publish the data since its fall reopening. These figures gave insight into the difficulties of business in the aftermath of omicron. As an example, take a look at Jan. 16th.

• Over half (14 out 25) of all the open shows were being shown to theatres less than 75% full.
• For “Wicked,” the theater had 67% capacity. The hit musical grossed under $1.1 million that week – far below the $1.9 million it grossed in its most recent week.
• Only 45% of the theater’s seats were filled by “Phantom of the Opera” that week. It grossed a little more than half a million dollars – a fraction of the $959,000 that it did it the latest week.
• Attendance for “Hamilton” dropped to 78% of capacity – which would be otherwise unheard of for the hit show.