Stranger Things: The First Shadow saw a big jump in grosses last week, amid the release of season five of the Netflix series and as Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Henry Creel/Vecna in the series, made a surprise appearance in the Dec. 19 show.
The play saw its grosses jump $300,000 to $1.9 million, marking the highest week yet for the play, which opened last March. Capacity inched up to 99 percent at the Marquis Theatre and the average ticket price increased to $151 from $127 the prior week. The show has seen its grosses trending upward since the end of November, which is also when the final season began being released. This also comes as the industry heads into its most lucrative weeks.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was the top Broadway earner last week. The play, which is now featuring Tom Felton (who plays Draco Malfoy in the films), brought in just above $3 million last week, with an average ticket price of $234 and 100 percent capacity at the Lyric Theatre.
Wicked followed closely behind with $3,001,721 to Harry Potter’s $3,038,963. Hamilton was the third highest grossing with $2.98 million, followed by $2.75 million at The Lion King.
The Queen of Versailles, starring Kristin Chenoweth, played its last Broadway performance Dec. 21, with grosses falling to $630,613 from close to $800,000 the prior week, but with attendance increasing to 81 percent from 77 percent. The new musical set an early closing date in January, amid flagging sales, but recently moved up the date to Dec. 21.
Little Bear Ridge Road, produced by Scott Rudin and starring Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock, also ended its run early on Dec. 21, with grosses rising about $120,000 to $553,955 and capacity soaring to 95 percent.
Art, starring James Corden, Neil Patrick Harris and Bobby Conte Thorton, ended its run as scheduled the same day, and went out with a nine-performance week, minting $1.6 million after a lucrative run. The play recouped its investment in December.
As three shows leave Broadway, the play Bug, starring Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood, played its first seven performances at the nonprofit Friedman Theater. The show played to 90 percent capacity and brought in $348,771. Opening night is set for Jan. 8.
