Broadway Box Office: Billy Crystal’s ‘860’ Sees Strong Opening, As ‘Downstate’ and More Start Previews

Two more shows began previews last week, with several more on deck, as Broadway‘s fall season heats up. Hamilton, with original cast member Christopher Jackson back on stage, remained the highest grossing show last week bringing in $2.5 million, followed by Other Desert Cities, with $2.3 million. The play, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Allison Janney and Joe Keery, retained the highest average ticket price on Broadway, at $290, and played to 100 percent capacity, after opening Oct. 18 and receiving mixed reviews. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was the third highest grossing with $1.99 million, The Lion King with $1.9 million and MJ with $1.7 million. Billy Crystal’s solo show 860 opened on Oct. 21 to largely positive reviews, with capacity for the seven performances growing to more than 107 percent. The show still brought in $1.2 million, despite a comped opening night, and has announced an extension through Feb. 14. After a delayed first preview, Downstate, produced by Scott Rudin, played its first six performances last week to 95 percent capacity. The play, which opens Nov. 15, brought in just $264,437 with an average ticket price of $61.64, suggesting some deep discounts. New musical Wanted played its first full week of eight performances, continuing with strong capacity of 93 percent, albeit a slight dip from the prior week. The show brought in $624,088 across the eight performances, as it continues to implement discounted preview pricing. The revival of The Fanstasticks also saw strong attendance for its first four performances last week, wiht 100 percent capacity at the Helen Hayes Theater, owned by the nonprofit Second Stage. The musical grossed $254,610. A Few Good Men, starring Bradley Whitford and Tom Blyth, is next up to open, on Oct. 29. The play has been seeing strong grosses and attendance, with close to $1.4 million last week.