Good Night, and Good Luck ended its Broadway run on a high, bringing in $4.3 million last week and yet again breaking its own record for highest-grossing play on Broadway.
The record gross came as the play, starring George Clooney, also broadcast its June 7 performance live on CNN, making the show available to all viewers. The play, which recouped its $9.5 million capitalization in just over seven weeks, also hit the highest average ticket price of its run with $347 and played to more than 100 percent capacity.
The production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre April 3 and ended its run June 8, the day of the Tony Awards. The play had five Tony nominations, including one for Clooney, but walked away without any trophies.
Othello, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Denzel Washington, also ended its run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre June 8 and reached the highest gross of its run with $3.8 million, while reaching a new high average ticket price of $456. The play, which opened March 23, was consistently high-grossing and well-attended, despite receiving lukewarm reviews and being shut out of the Tony nominations. The show recouped its capitalization after nine weeks on Broadway.
Wicked was the next highest grossing show last week, with $2.4 million, followed by Glengarry Glen Ross, starring Kieran Culkin, Bill Burr and Bob Odenkik, with $2.3 million and The Lion King with $2 million.
Maybe Happy Ending was the big winner at the Tony Awards Sunday, taking home the top prize of best musical, as well as a trophy for star Darren Criss, and four other Tony Awards. The impact of the Tony on that show, as well as for other winners, including Sunset Blvd, which won best revival of a musical and a Tony for its lead Nicole Scherzinger, and Purpose, winner of best play, as well as any musicals that made an impression with their Tonys performance, will play out over the next several weeks.
Boop! The Musical and Real Women Have Curves, which have been bringing in lower box office tallies, increased their numbers last week, with Boop reaching $554,195, up close to $62,000 from the prior week, and playing to 85 percent capacity and Real Women Have Curves reaching $414,432, up $22,000 from the prior week.
Neither took home Tony Awards Sunday – with Boop nominated for three awards, including best actress for its lead Jasmine Amy Rodgers and Real Women Have Curves nominated for best score and best featured actress for Justina Machado — but the hope is that Real Women performance on the Tonys telecast and the awards buzz around Rodgers can help boost the box office tallies. Boop was not selected to perform a number during the telecast.
