Broadway starts with a bang despite off year

NEW YORK — Broadway ended 2015 and started the new year with a bang, generating the best attended and highest-grossing week in history.

But producers might have a hangover when they see that box office receipts and overall attendance for 2015 dipped from the previous year.

According to Broadway League statistics released Monday, the total gross was $1.354 billion for 2015 and total attendance was 12.98 million. That’s a decline from last year’s $1.362 billion haul and 13.13 million in attendance. It marks the first time both numbers have not done better than the previous year in several years.

Last week, 20 shows among the 38 playing grossed more than $1 million, with four grossing more than $2 million ( Aladdin, The Book of Mor- mon, The Lion King and Wicked.)

Records were made at several Broadway theatres, including over at the New Amsterdam Theatre, where Aladdin made $2,398,110 for nine shows. The return of the super magical group The Illusionists took in $1,801,326 over a staggering 13 performances, smashing the Neil Simon Theatre’s record set by All the Way in 2014.

The Peter Pan tale Find- ing Neverland also found a new weekly record haul at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with $1,477,174 over nine shows and School of Rock — The Musical did the same at the Winter Garden Theatre with $1,671,621 over the same nine performances.

In fact, the week ending Sunday “was the best attended and highest grossing New Year’s week, and the best-attended and highest-grossing week on Broadway overall to date,” according to the league. Over the seven days, Broadway box offices pulled in a staggering $43,065,466, helped by premium pricing, big shows adding extra performances to their schedules and mild weather.

While new shows such as Hamilton got much of the attention last year, it was an old favourite that actually won the title of highestgrossing show of 2015 — The Lion King. It was the third year in a row that the Disney show has won the crown.