How to Succeed box office sales, weeks of December 25 to January 29
If there is a truth now universally acknowledged on Broadway, it is that producers in need of a fortune should cast Darren Criss. The Glee star’s 24-show tenure in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which ended on Sunday, took in a total of just over $4 million dollars—besting all but one of his predecessor Daniel Radcliffe’s per week grosses and putting some extra pressure on hisreplacement Nick Jonas, whose stint runs until Jul. 1.
“How To Succeed in Business” Grossing Since The Opening Week
(Notice the large spike once Darren’s Run Started…He def. Will Be Back on Broadway Soo)
http://www.playbillvault.com/Grosses/Show/13723/How-to-Succeed-in-Business-Without-Really-Trying
Ooh, it’s even more impressive in graph form!
To be clear, that large spike is for DanRad’s last week, which is an outlier on the graph, because it had 9 shows instead of 8.
But Darren’s three little dots are still way higher than the rest!
Top 5 by This Week Gross
#5: How to Succeed $1,319,834
Top 5 by Average Ticket Price
#2: How to Succeed $122.26
Top 5 % of Seats Sold of Total Seats
#5: How to Succeed 94.8%
This is really good news for Darren. The average ticket price ranking is particularly good since it shows people are willing to pay full price to see him, as opposed to buying discounted tickets (and thus the theatre getting less money). I’d say it’s a safe bet that he’ll get more Broadway offers.
— PopWatch (x)
Last Wednesday, I braved the 12 degree weather (and even colder wind chill) to get rush tickets to see Darren Criss in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” I suppose the lack of sensation in my feet after three hours was worth it, though, since I got partial-view seats in the second row for $30 (and when you consider that full-view seats in the same row cost $402, I’ll take the frostbite, thank you very much).
I was familiar with the singer-actor from “A Very Potter Musical” and a bit of his work on “Glee,” which I watched last season. I knew he was a capable singer and a charismatic personality. That’s about all the role of J. Pierrepont Finch needs, really, as Daniel Radcliffe, Criss’ predecessor in both the roles of Harry Potter and Finch, showed in his time with the musical.
Criss, who had a very limited rehearsal period before appearing in the show for the first time on Tuesday, brought everything he needed to the role. I quite enjoyed Radcliffe’s performance, and I also enjoyed Criss’ performance, in a different way.
Criss’ Finch was quite likable, which is the most important quality of the character. While he seemed a tad nervous at the beginning, as the show progressed, it was clear that both Criss and Finch felt more and more at home at World Wide Wickets.
Darren Criss is also an accomplished singer and dancer. His easy voice was a delightful addition Frank Loesser’s score, and his effortless dancing added to Finch’s other smooth qualities. All in all, Darren Criss’s performance was lovely and enjoyable to experience. I hope he gets a longer run on Broadway in the near future!
Best known as gay heartthrob Blaine Anderson on “Glee,” Criss stepped into the Tony-nominated revival for a limited three-week engagement Jan. 3 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. He succeeded original star Daniel Radcliffe (“Harry Potter,”Equus), who played his final performance Jan. 1.
Criss proved to be a major box-office draw for the production, which sold-out several performances throughout his three-week engagement. Throngs of fans also mobbed the stage door to catch a glimpse of the “Glee” star.
A slight wintertime slump has hit many Broadway shows as the January chill sets in, but things are still sunny at perennial favoritesThe Lion King and Wicked. These stalwarts, along with more recent hits The Book of Mormon and the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, all enjoyed houses sold at over 95% capacity.
FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. Wicked ($1,792,976)
2. The Lion King ($1,589,980)
3. Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark ($1,436,957)
4. The Book of Mormon ($1,416,189)
5. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ($1,331,505)FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. The Book of Mormon (102.63%)
2. The Lion King (100.02%)
3. War Horse (100.0%)**
4. Wicked (99.97%)
5. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (97.48%)Over 97% capacity in his second week?
Not bad, Darren. Not bad.
Turns out Darren Criss may be a bigger Broadway draw than Daniel Radcliffe. In its first week with the 24-year-old Glee star,How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying raked in nearly $1.4 million at the box office. That’s a dip from Radcliffe’s final week in the hit musical revival (when the show grossed $1.9 million in an unusual nine-performance week), but it outpaces any previous eight-show week when the Harry Potter star appeared. All week, Criss managed to filled 99.8 percent of the seats at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre and kept NYC police busy controlling crowds outside the stage door. (The producers must be wishing he could stay in the show beyond his Jan. 22 cutoff.) Overall, How to Succeed was the fifth biggest draw on Broadway for the week ending Jan. 8, behind such usual suspects as The Lion King ($1.87 million), Wicked ($1.85 million), Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark ($1.72 million), and The Book of Mormon ($1.43 million).
Meanwhile, several of this season’s newer shows continue to struggle.
Numbers were down for many Broadway shows during the first full week of performances of 2012. The Great White Way said farewell toLysistrata Jones, as well as the Tony-winning musical Billy Elliot, which pulled in a strong $1.3 million during it’s final week. Two newcomers, however, made their way to Broadway as the Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of Wit began previews, and Darren Criss joined the cast of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Glee fans packed the Al Hirschfeld Theatre to 99.88% capacity, with the musical taking in over $1.3 million. Talk about knowing How to Succeed indeed!
Here’s a look at who was on top and who was not for the week ending January 8:
FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. The Lion King ($1,872,430)
2. Wicked ($1,850,216)
3. Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark ($1,721,734)
4. The Book of Mormon ($1,428,663)
5. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ($1,386,065)
