Broadway Grosses $31.5M Despite Snowstorm
Broadway's 28 active shows grossed $31.5 million for the week ending February 22, representing a 13% increase over last year despite a 6% week-over-week drop due to a severe snowstorm that canceled Sunday performances. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" led with $2.57 million, followed by "Hamilton" ($2.14M) and "The Lion King" ($1.92M). Season-to-date grosses now stand at $1.43 billion, an 8% year-over-year increase, with attendance reaching 10.66 million.
- The storm, named Winter Storm Hernando, was forecast to be the biggest blizzard in over a decade, with predictions of up to two feet of snow. The Broadway League, the industry's trade association, made the decision to cancel all Sunday evening performances in response to travel ban announcements and warnings from city officials. - Mass cancellations on Broadway are rare and typically only occur when there is a major shutdown of New York City's public transportation or a state of emergency is declared. Since the year 2000, Broadway has only fully closed due to snow a total of twelve times. - While Sunday matinee performances went on as scheduled, all shows with a curtain time of 6 p.m. or later were canceled. The closures continued into Monday, February 23, as several shows that typically perform on that day—including *Chicago* and *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child*—remained dark for the cleanup. - The cancellation of an evening performance results in significant lost revenue that cannot be recouped, as theaters must offer refunds to ticket holders. The economic impact also affects surrounding businesses, such as restaurants and hotels, that rely on pre- and post-theater crowds. - For the musical "Operation Mincemeat," the storm-induced cancellation was especially unfortunate, as the Sunday evening show was scheduled to be the final performance for the original Broadway cast. - This particular week's grosses are part of a record-breaking 2024-2025 season for Broadway, which has become the highest-grossing season in history. The success has been driven by both high attendance, with over 91% of seats filled, and an increase in the average ticket price to $129.12.
