THE RIVER : Box Office Results

[jo]

www.broadway.com/buzz/178209/broadway-grosses-disgraced-celebrates-box-office-jump-hugh-jackman-causes-the-river-to-overflow/

Broadway Grosses: Disgraced Celebrates Box Office Jump; Hugh Jackman Causes The River to Overflow

News By Ryan McPhee November 3, 2014 - 3:47PM


'The River' reached nearly 104% capacity over three weekend performances.

Lips are chapped, scarves are out: it is officially chilly in New York. The temperature dropped on the Great White Way this week, as well—nearly every Broadway show saw a decrease in gross from the previous week. The one exception was Disgraced, which at $408,008, saw its highest gross since it began in September. With positive reviews across the board after an October 23 opening, it’s possible the Pulitzer-winning drama will continue to climb the chart. Meanwhile, another drama made a big splash in its first weekend of performances: The River, starring Hugh Jackman, hit 103.54% capacity, rising instantly to the top of the frontrunners.

Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending November 2:

FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. The Lion King ($1,700,190)
2. The Book of Mormon ($1,535,238)
3. It's Only a Play ($1,338,059)
4. Wicked ($1,329,813)
5. Aladdin ($1,280,885)

UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. Once ($341,135)
4. This Is Our Youth ($294,214)
3. Rock of Ages ($278,848)
2. Love Letters ($258,377)
1. The Country House ($217,819)

FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. The River (103.54%)**
2. The Book of Mormon (102.61%)
3. A Delicate Balance (100.00%)*
4. It's Only a Play (99.02%)
5. The Lion King (98.49%)

UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. On the Town (58.36%)
4. Once (57.08%)
3. Cinderella (48.52%)
2. This Is Our Youth (47.81%)
1. Love Letters (46.36%)

*Number based on eight preview performances
**Number based on three preview performances

Source: The Broadway League

[jo]

In absolute amounts, BWW's summary of the week's box office for all shows --

www.broadwayworld.com/grosses.cfm#.VFfsTtEcSJc


Specifically for THE RIVER --

Show /This Week Gross /Last Week Gross /Diff $ /Potential Gross /Gross % Potential /Average Paid /Top Ticket /Total Attend /Total Seats /Per /This Week /Last Week /Diff


THE RIVER
(CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE) /$348,102 /$0 /$348,102 /$327,834 /106.18% /$161.01 /$275.00 /2,162 /2,088 /3 /103.5% /0.0% /0.0%

Excellent Results !



PS : It's easier to read the stats from the link, plus you can compare shows on the full chart.

This post is to transcribe the results for the record.

[jo]

Patrick Healy ( who conducted the TimesTalks session) writes from his beat at The New York Times on the box office results for the week (not great overall!) and shines the spotlight on THE RIVER --

artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/?module=BlogMain&action=Click®ion=Header&pgtype=Blogs&version=Blog Post&contentCollection=Arts

Nov 3 4:52 pmNov 3 4:52 pm

A Quiet Week at the Box Office for Broadway

By Patrick Healy



Most holiday weekends are a boon for Broadway shows, given the spike in tourists and families buying tickets, but Halloween isn’t a night made for sitting inside theaters. Last weekend’s combination of Halloween, the New York City marathon and the change in daylight savings time (which can throw off routines) hurt box-office business for most Broadway musicals and plays, which earn the bulk of their weekly grosses during performances between Fridays and Sundays. Broadway grossed $23.5 million for a total of 34 shows last week, or about 10 percent less than the previous week (when 32 shows were running), according to box office data released on Monday.

Among musicals, “The Last Ship” – which has a score by Sting, his first for Broadway – had middling ticket sales for its first full week of performances after opening Oct. 27 to mixed reviews from critics. The show grossed $495,069 last week, or 40 percent of the maximum possible amount, with only 59 percent of seats filled. The gross was affected in part by a number of free tickets going to theater journalists and others last week, in addition to the other factors that slowed business for most shows. “The Last Ship” producers announced last week that they would begin offering discounts of up to 35 percent on all seats to members of labor unions. (A subplot in the musical is the struggles of British shipbuilders.)

Another highly anticipated musical of the fall, “Side Show,” grossed $349,563 for its first six preview performances last week, or about 40 percent of the maximum amount, with 73 percent of seats filled. “Side Show” is an extensively revised version of a 1997 musical that was beloved by many audience members and critics but ran for only four months, hurt by competition from other shows, lackluster marketing as well as mixed interest in its subject matter (the turbulent lives of two sisters who are conjoined twins).

Despite the distractions of the weekend, Hugh Jackman proved once again that he is one of Broadway’s biggest stars. His new play, “The River,” written by Jez Butterworth (“Jerusalem”), grossed a relatively mighty $348,102 for its first three previews last weekend, all of which sold out. The gross is ever more notable because the producers, in an unusual step to promote affordability, are selling 40 seats at every performance for $35 each and another 80 for $95; they are making up for those low prices partly by selling some other seats at premium price levels of $275.

Over all attendance at Broadway plays and musicals last week was 239,269, compared with 255,078 the week before and 230,404 for the comparable week last year.

[jo]

Variety hails Hugh's box office pull --

variety.com/2014/legit/news/broadway-box-office-hugh-jackman-first-week-river-1201346443/

Broadway Box Office: Hugh Jackman Flexes His Muscle in ‘The River’


November 3, 2014 | 02:03PM PT

Gordon Cox
Legit Editor

@gcoxvariety


Hugh Jackman made it rain at the Broadway box office last week, as the initial performances of his topliner “The River” yielded the kind of numbers that’d be encouraging for a sizeable musical, much less an intimate three-character play in one of Broadway’s smallest theaters.

“The River” pulled in $348,102 for three previews, a stellar total for a production playing at Circle in the Square, which seats less than 700. The show played to standing-room crowds and posted an average price paid per ticket of $161 — a feat even more notable given the fact that at each performance, 40 tickets sold for $35 and another 80 went for $95.

Those early numbers suggest Jackman, one of Broadway’s top-dollar draws, will drive “The River” further up the chart next week, joining “It’s Only a Play” ($1,338,059) among starry non-musicals that can rival sales at tourist-magnet tuners. Also logging strong numbers in a small theater was Glenn Close starrer “A Delicate Balance” ($850,150), while critics’ darling “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” ($862,004) ran with the big dogs in the Top 10...

Deadline.com also takes note of Hugh Jackman's box office appeal --

deadline.com/2014/11/hugh-jackman-the-river-broadway-box-office-1201272480/#comment-list-wrapper

Hugh Jackman Rides ‘The River’ Tide To Box Office High-Water Mark

by Jeremy Gerard

November 3, 2014 1:19pm



The new Jez Butterworth play began previews at Broadway’s underground Circle In The Square theater, with star Jackman immediately taking the lead for priciest non-musical ducat. Average ticket price for the 85-minute drama was $161.01 over three previews, raising $348,102 and beating the gross potential of $327,834 by a handsome 6.2%. The run of the Royal Court Theatre import – at 13 weeks, nearly as brief as the show itself — is slated to open November 16 and shutter January 25, 2015. The River displaced It’s Only A Play for the top per-ticket spot, but only by a few bucks, as that runaway hit comedy continues to sell out at the Schoenfeld. Among musicals, The Book Of Mormon remains unbeatable at $175.44.


Overall Broadway box office was down 9% despite the addition of two new entries to to the 34-show roster, according to figures released by the trade group Broadway League...

It's based on only 3 perforamances, but these results and the covering news features will serve as excellent publicity for the show!


And maybe...just maybe...if some Hollywood mover and shaker reads the Variety/Deadline Hollywood/NYTimes spotlight on Hugh Jackman and THE RIVER, that he might be enticed to take a look at a possible film adaptation? Btw, Jez Butterworth also writes film scripts ( his new project is some scriptwriting for the next Bond movie) ... Lol - I am really getting ahead of myself - we need to see how the Broadway theatre critics feel about the show and the performances, first


Jo

[jo]

BWW provides insights on the past week's box office results --

www.broadwayworld.com/article/INDUSTRY-INSIGHT-Weekly-Grosses-Analysis-1110-THE-RIVER-Breaks-House-Records-20141110


INDUSTRY INSIGHT: Weekly Grosses Analysis - 11/10; THE RIVER Breaks House Records


November 10
3:09 PM
2014

?by BWW Special Coverage



Welcome to this week's edition of our new WEEKLY GROSSES ANALYSIS, part of our new Industry Insights section that will feature insider industry information, commentary and insights!
Read on for all the weekly grosses statistics for the movers and shakers from the latest grosses, 11/2/2014.

THE RIVER broke the house record at Circle in the Square for its first full week of performances, during the week ending 11/9/14. The show grossed $917,008.00. The previous record was set by LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL for its final week, at $762,599, for the week ending 10/5/14. 120 seats for every performance of The River are sold for $35 and $95, respectively.



Top 5 by This Week Gross
THE LION KING $1,737,729
THE BOOK OF MORMON $1,638,827
WICKED $1,621,169
ALADDIN $1,410,648
IT'S ONLY A PLAY $1,375,174

Bottom 5 by This Week Gross
THE COUNTRY HOUSE ($209,004), ROCK OF AGES ($323,107), THIS IS OUR YOUTH ($349,111), LOVE LETTERS ($393,746), SIDE SHOW ($413,928)

Top 5 by This Week Gross vs. Last Week Gross
THE RIVER $568,906
BEAUTIFUL $296,854
WICKED $291,356
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL $170,905
IF/THEN $165,502

Bottom 5 by This Week Gross vs. Last Week Gross
MAMMA MIA! ($-16,464), THE COUNTRY HOUSE ($-8,815), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA ($-3,354), A DELICATE BALANCE ($7,225), THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME ($33,896)

Top 5 by Average Ticket Price
THE BOOK OF MORMON $187.25
BEAUTIFUL $162.02
IT'S ONLY A PLAY $160.95
THE RIVER $160.43
A DELICATE BALANCE $133.63

Bottom 5 by Average Ticket Price
THE COUNTRY HOUSE ($56.15), SIDE SHOW ($58.01), THIS IS OUR YOUTH ($72.66),CINDERELLA ($74.90), IF/THEN ($75.41)

Top 5 by Gross % of Potential
THE BOOK OF MORMON 117.82%
THE RIVER 104.89%
ALADDIN 104.16%
BEAUTIFUL 103.61%
IT'S ONLY A PLAY 103.48%

Bottom 5 by Gross % of Potential
THE COUNTRY HOUSE (35.3%), SIDE SHOW (40.54%), PIPPIN (42.82%), THE LAST SHIP (43.74%), THIS IS OUR YOUTH (43.96%)

Top 5 % of Seats Sold of Total Seats
THE RIVER 102.7%
THE BOOK OF MORMON 102.6%
BEAUTIFUL 100.1%
A DELICATE BALANCE 100.0%
IT'S ONLY A PLAY 99.9%

Bottom 5 % of Seats Sold of Total Seats
THIS IS OUR YOUTH (56.6%), LOVE LETTERS (59.5%), CINDERELLA (60.0%), ONCE (64.8%),THE LAST SHIP (66.2%)


Top 5 by Seats Sold This Week vs. Last Week
THE RIVER 3554
CINDERELLA 1611
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL 1487
SIDE SHOW 1439
WICKED 1427

Bottom 5 by Seats Sold This Week vs. Last Week
ALADDIN (-357), A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER (-260), KINKY BOOTS (-185),THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (-138),




On the other hand, the NYTimes provides a slightly different analysis, which included the performance of The Elephant Man.

artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/elephant-man-and-the-river-showcase-stars-box-office-power-on-broadway/?module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Arts&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs®ion=Body

[jo]

www.broadwayworld.com/grosses.cfm

Show /This Week Gross /Last Week Gross /Diff $ /Potential Gross /Gross % Potential /Average Paid /Top Ticket /Total Attend /Total Seats /Per /This Week /Last Week /Diff


THE RIVER
(CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE) $917,008/ $348,102/ $568,906/ $874,224/ 104.89%/ $160.43/ $275.00/ 5,716/ 5,568/ 8/ 102.7%/ 103.5%/ -0.8%

[mamaleh]

I suspect that if THE RIVER's promotion included a shot of Hugh in his underwear (not part of the play, of course), as THE ELEPHANT MAN has of Bradley Cooper (likely a very short scene), THE RIVER's already over 100 percent attendance would skyrocket.

I can see it now: "I am The Man, not an animal. Including any and all fish. Especially sea trout."

Butterworth missed an opportunity.

Ellen

[jo]

Butterworth probably did not see XMEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST



I have seen the Cooper image in THE ELEPHANT MAN - ha, no match to the above in musculature!






Of course I am biased


Jo

[jo]

Broadway grosses as of November 23 --

Show /This Week Gross /Last Week Gross /Diff $ /Potential Gross /Gross % Potential /Average Paid /Top Ticket /Total Attend /Total Seats /Per /This Week /Last Week /Diff



THE RIVER(CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE) /$882,153 /$723,882 /$158,271 /$874,224 /100.91% /$156.94 /$275.00 /5,621 /5,568 /8 /101.0% /102.3% /-1.3%

[jo]

Box office results as of Nov 30 --

Show /This Week Gross /Last Week Gross /Diff $ /Potential Gross /Gross % Potential /Average Paid /Top Ticket /Total Attend /Total Seats /Per /This Week /Last Week /Diff


THE RIVER(CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE) /$906,275 /$882,153 /$24,122 /$874,224 /103.67% /$161.00 /$275.00 /5,629 /5,568 /8 /101.1% /101.0% /0.1

The show has now exceeded the $900,000 weekly level...and it is still registering sellout records.


Jo

[jo]

Box office grosses as of December 7, 2014 --

Show /This Week Gross /Last Week Gross /Diff $ /Potential Gross /Gross % Potential /Average Paid /Top Ticket /Total Attend /Total Seats /Per /This Week /Last Week /Diff


THE RIVER
(CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE) /$873,863 /$906,275 /$-32,412 /$874,224 /99.96% /$155.71 /$275.00 /5,612 /5,568 /8 /100.8% /101.1% /-0.3%

[jo]

Box office grosses for week ending December 14, 2014 --

Show /This Week Gross /Last Week Gross /Diff $ /Potential Gross /Gross % Potential /Average Paid /Top Ticket /Total Attend /Total Seats /Per /This Week /Last Week /Diff



THE RIVER
(CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE) $865,695 /$873,863 /$-8,168 /$874,224 /99.02% /$154.37 /$275.00 /5,608 /5,568 /8 /100.7% /100.8% /-0.1%

[mamaleh]

Guess what has just become only the second show of the season (after IT'S ONLY A PLAY) to recoup? Yup, THE RIVER.

www.broadwayworld.com/article/Hugh-Jackman-Led-THE-RIVER-Recoups-on-Broadway-20141219

Ellen

[jo]

Excellent news, Ellen!

Totally unexpected at this point - I thought it might have to take the entire run to do that, given the size of the theatre ( approx. 700) and the pricing policy ( riverbank, access,rush seats and SRO).

The Hollywood Reporter ( which likes to keep tabs on its film actors!) also rushes in to report the good news --

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hugh-jackman-rushes-river-profit-759560

Hugh Jackman Rushes 'The River' Into Profit


by David Rooney

12/19/2014 12:30pm PDT


If anyone still had doubts about Hugh Jackman being a guarantee of box office gold on Broadway, the announcement that his latest vehicle, The River, has recouped its $3.2 million investment in just a month should be proof enough.

Lead producer Sonia Friedman confirmed on Friday that the Jez Butterworth play, directed by Ian Rickson, has earned back its capitalization, meaning a healthy profit can be expected from the remainder of the run, which is s scheduled through Feb. 8.

The news comes on the heels of the announcement earlier in the week that the all-star revival of the Terrence McNally comedy, It's Only a Play, also recouped, getting this season off to a strong start for non-musicals.


First produced at London's Royal Court Theatre in 2012, The River stars Jackman alongside Laura Donnelly and Cush Jumbo in an enigmatic drama about a trout fisherman in a remote cabin and his attempts on a moonless night to recapture the woman of his dreams.

The Broadway transfer began previews on Oct. 31 at the Circle in the Square, and officially opened on Nov. 16. While reviews for the play itself were far more mixed than in London, critics generally had high praise for the production, and Jackman in particular.

The actor has previously been a major draw on Broadway in the Peter Allen bio-musical The Boy From Oz, for which he won a Tony Award for best actor; in the cop drama A Steady Rain, starring opposite Daniel Craig; and in his song-and-dance show Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway. The commercial success of The River demonstrates that Jackman's star power also translates to more challenging material.



The production has been playing to capacity audiences since the start of previews, with grosses of $5.5 million through Dec. 14. The fast recoupment is all the more remarkable in a theater that seats less than 700 people, and in a production with an affordable-ticket policy of offering a significant number of $35 and $95 seats at every performance.

Other producers on the show with Friedman are Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, Colin Callender, Scott Landis and Tulchin Bartner Productions.

Congratulations to Hugh, the cast, the creative team, CITS, and the producers!!


smiley-bounce016



Jo

[jo]

THE RIVER recouped within 7 weeks!

Here are the stats for the show ( per BWW) --

www.broadwayworld.com/grosses/THE-RIVER


Interesting stats if this could be available --

*Repeat patronage rate ( either because you love Hugh or it takes a second viewing to understand what Jez Butterworth will personally explain for $1000 - LOL!)

*Geographical demos of audience members (Australia is probably the furthest away)

*Male/female demos ( the photo uploads for the auctions show a good mix, although of course weighted more heavily with Hugh female fans), including any indications if his fanboy base also turned out at least in modest numbers

*Age demos -- hah, no neighboring WICKED fangirls around, but I wonder if there are any indications of at least a very modest turnout by Wolverine fanboys.

Jo

[jo]

If there is any doubt about Hugh Jackman's prowess at the Broadway box office, THE NEW YORK TIMES dispels that notion


www.nytimes.com/2014/12/20/theater/a-river-of-money-thanks-to-jackman.html?_r=0

Theater

A River of Money Thanks to Jackman


DEC. 19, 2014




Arts, Briefly

By PATRICK HEALY




The new Hugh Jackman play on Broadway, “The River,” has recouped its $3.2 million capitalization in just seven weeks, the show’s producers said on Friday. It is a remarkably fast achievement, aided by the show’s unusual ticketing policy. While “The River” is offering dozens of seats at the relatively low prices of $35 and $95 at every performance, the producers are reaping profits by selling many more tickets for more than $275. The show’s average ticket price last week was $154.37, one of the highest on Broadway. While the reviews were mixed for “The River,” a dark tale of a man who brings his girlfriend to a fishing cabin, the box-office power of Mr. Jackman (above) — a Tony winner as well as a movie action hero — is potent enough to reliably sell out performances. Written by Jez Butterworth (“Jerusalem”) and directed by Ian Rickson, “The River” is at the Circle in the Square Theater until Feb. 8.

[JH4HJ]

Hugh Jackman Rushes 'The River' Into Profit

If anyone still had doubts about Hugh Jackman being a guarantee of box-office gold on Broadway, the announcement that his latest vehicle, The River, has recouped its $3.2 million investment in just a month should be proof enough. . .
. . . The actor has previously been a major draw on Broadway in the Peter Allen bio-musical The Boy From Oz, for which he won a Tony Award for best actor; in the cop drama A Steady Rain, starring opposite Daniel Craig; and in his song-and-dance show Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway. The commercial success of The River demonstrates that Jackman's star power also translates to more challenging material. . .
. . . The fast recoupment is all the more remarkable in a theater that seats less than 700 people, and in a production with an affordable-ticket policy of offering a significant number of $35 and $95 seats at every performance.

I sincerely hope that this will encourage other performers/producers to offer "affordable" tickets to popular shows. There's nothing like LIVE theater, and once you get them "hooked" they will keep coming back for more.

Hollywood Reporter - full article

[jo]

I agree about the ticket policy employed for THE RIVER. I would also like to see a general policy for shows which does not simply favor students ( most RUSH tickets for shows favor students or young people) but that shows be made more affordable for all demos.

When I picked up my tickets, which happened on a Monday morning ( when Access tickets for the week as well as Rush seats for the day's performance were being earmarked), there was a long line ( maybe around 25-30) of people waiting to get the more affordable tickets. It was a good mix of young and more mature adults ( including some elderly couples).

It is also interesting that this policy has encouraged more people seeing straight plays, instead of just musicals ( which is the more popular branch of the performing arts at least on Broadway).

Hugh has always been vocal about making tickets more affordable for theatregoers and in this case it dovetailed with Sonia Friedman's record of producing shows at non-profit/subsidized institutions in her native UK.

Jo

[jo]

As of December 28, 2014 --

Show /This Week Gross /Last Week Gross /Diff $ /Potential Gross /Gross % Potential /Average Paid /Top Ticket /Total Attend /Total Seats /Per /This Week /Last Week /Diff


THE RIVER
(CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE) $771,849 /$785,131 /$-13,282 /$874,224 /88.29% /$138.57 /$275.00 /5,570 /5,568 /8 /100.0% /99.4% /0.6%

It looks like the weekly gross is dipping slightly. But the pricing policy is seeing to it that people have access to the show, as it continues to be a sell-out.

[jo]

As of week ending January 4, 2015 --

Show /This Week Gross /Last Week Gross /Diff $ /Potential Gross /Gross % Potential /Average Paid /Top Ticket /Total Attend /Total Seats /Per /This Week /Last Week /Diff


THE RIVER
(CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE) /$756,740 /$771,849 /$-15,109 /$750,744 /100.80% /$133.25 /$275.00 /5,679 /5,568 /8 /102.0% /100.0% /2.0%

The show continues its slight dip in box office receipts, even if the sellout rate has been maintained.

[jo]

Recovering from the dip of the previous week and returning to sellout status -- box office grosses for week ending January 18, 2015 :

Show /This Week Gross /Last Week Gross /Diff $ /Potential Gross /Gross % Potential /Average Paid /Top Ticket /Total Attend /Total Seats /Per /This Week /Last Week /


THE RIVER
(CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE) /$722,987 /$668,724 /$54,263 /$750,744 /96.30% /$126.88 /$275.00 /5,698 /5,568 /8 /102.3% /96.7% /5.6%

[jo]

For the week ending February 1, 2015 --

Show /This Week Gross /Last Week Gross /Diff $ /Potential Gross /Gross % Potential /Average Paid /Top Ticket /Total Attend /Total Seats /Per /This Week /Last Week /Diff

THE RIVER
(CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE) /$484,695 /$616,535 /$-131,840 /$627,264 /77.27% /$86.94 /$275.00 /5,575 /5,568 /8 /100.1% /99.3% /0.8% [/quote]




www.broadway.com/buzz/179430/broadway-grosses-a-frozen-river-is-still-a-river-hugh-jackman-led-drama-plays-full-capacity-during-snowstorm-juno/

Broadway Grosses: A Frozen River is Still a River! Hugh Jackman-Led Drama Plays Full Capacity During Snowstorm Juno

News By Ryan McPhee February 2, 2015 - 4:01PM




Broadway Grosses: A Frozen River is Still a River! Hugh Jackman-Led Drama Plays Full Capacity During Snowstorm Juno
Hugh Jackman in 'The River'


'The River' will play its final performance on February 8.


If Christmas and New Years are a Broadway box office’s best friend, a January blizzard is its greatest villain. Almost every show on the Great White Way saw a dip in attendance for the week that Snowstorm Juno hit New York. The two shows to increase in capacity over the previous week were The Lion King (which, along with a bevy of others, played only seven performances) and The River, starring Hugh Jackman. The average ticket price did drop for the latter, but the Jez Butterworth drama had no problem filling its 696-seat (plus standing room) house. The play will take its final bow at the Circle in the Square Theatre on February 8, and we expect that no amount of snow (or slush) will keep audiences from one final chance to watch Jackman cook an entire fish dinner live on stage.

Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending February 1:

FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. The Book of Mormon ($1,423,750)
2. The Lion King ($1,337,983)*
3. Wicked ($1,291,035)
4. Aladdin ($1,119,398)*
5. The Elephant Man ($976,936)

UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. Honeymoon in Vegas ($369,342)
4. Chicago ($365,600)*
3. Mamma Mia! ($357,539)*
2. You Can't Take It With You ($354,139)
1. Disgraced ($348,413)

FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. The Book of Mormon (101.74%)
2. The River (100.13%)
3. The Lion King (99.55%)*
4. Constellations (97.31%)
5. The Elephant Man (95.49%)

UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. Chicago (65.45%)*
4. Mamma Mia! (64.90%)*
3. You Can't Take It With You (58.08%)
2. Honeymoon in Vegas (54.17%)
1. On the Town (48.51%)

*Number based on seven regular performances

Source: The Broadway League

The show dipped to an all-time low of $ 484,000 but it was probably still above its weekly operating nut ( weekly expenses). Having alsready reached breakeven point, the producers were decided to fill the theatre, esp for those who couldn't afford the prices, by futher democratizing the pricing. This probably worked well with students and those who loved going to live theatre at practically close to movie theatre prices...and those who were in the city but with no choice and had not much to do ( such as tourists who had come to NYC).

Jo

[jo]

While many shows may have opted to let seats go empty due to the winter weather, The River has decided to continue with its policy of re-pricing seats down to allow more access to people who wanted to see the show but found typical theatre tickets fairly expensive. The River has also hosted student groups ( CITS Theatre School, Pace's Theatre School, NYU's Lee Strasberg School) to provide them with real theatrical experience!

Mission accomplished for THE RIVER! Recoupment after only 7 weeks. Democratization of pricing policy. Allowing a broader cross-section of the audience. Mentoring theatre students.

Fringe Benefit : Most gracious actor to have ever graced the stagedoor!



Mission accomplished for Hugh Jackman! Support new work, work that is very different from typical plays on Broadway. Character role that is as far away from other roles ( film or stage) that he has ever worked on. Acclaim for his performance, despite mixed reviews for the show itself. One hundred percent attendance once again. More new fans - although that is probably just another fringe benefit, not a stated goal


Final reckoning at the box office, for the entire run --

SHOW /Total Gross /Avg. Gross /Average Ticket /Top Ticket /Seats Sold/TotalSeats /Perf. /Average %


THE RIVER /$10,827,016 /$721,801 /$135.19 /$275.00 /80,722 /80,040 /115 /100.95%

Jo