Audiences flock to London theaters in record numbers, musicals a huge favorite: SOLT report

London theaters saw record audience numbers during 2017, boosted by the popularity of musicals, the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced on Tuesday.

Audience numbers jumped five percent in a year to top 15 million in 2017, the highest figure since SOLT records began in 1986.

Musicals were by far the most popular form of theater, with audience numbers increasing by eight percent to more than 8.7 million.

The Book of Mormon and Wicked are among the West End’s most popular musicals, while the J.K. Rowling play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child continues its great success since opening in 2016.

Nearly 4.5 million people went to a play in 2017, up seven percent on 2016, while other types of theater including opera and dance drew close to 1.9 million attendees.

SOLT President Kenny Wax said the numbers are “testament to the creative strength of London theater,” but warned that after a successful start to 2017 numbers were down in the second half of the year.

“The industry has many reasons to celebrate but must remain cautious as we look ahead to the rest of 2018,” he told The Stage publication.

“However, the year is a tale of two halves, with the industry operating in a tougher climate in the final two quarters,” Wax added.

Despite the sense of caution, theater box-office revenues were up nine percent in 2017 to 705 million pounds ($982 million).