Broadway Box Office: ‘Moulin Rouge!’ Tops Industry Grosses As Aaron Tveit Returns For Final Weeks

Grosses for Moulin Rouge! jumped up by more than $1 million last week, reaching $2.2 million, as original cast member Aaron Tveit rejoined the cast for the end of the show’s run.

The average ticket price jumped to $210, the highest of the industry last week, and placed the musical as the highest grossing show of the week. The musical is set to play its final performance Aug. 30, after opening on Broadway in 2019. Tveit won the 2021 Tony Award for best performance by a leading actor in a musical for creating the role of Christian in the show.

Paranormal Activity played its first full week of eight performances last week. While the previews were heavily comped for press tickets, the play pulled in $729,250 and played to 100 percent capacity. The play is set for an official press opening Aug. 25, with a special gala performance Sept. 15.

Hamilton was the second highest grossing of the week, with $1.97 million, followed by The Lion King with $1.8 million, MJ with $1.7 million and The Lost Boys with $1.1 million.

Overall industry grosses took a hit last week, with attendance down 3 percent from the prior week and grosses down 8 percent, following the closure of Ragtime , which had been a high earner. The industry is also entering a slower period, which will include two-for-one ticket promotions, ahead of the fall ramp up in new shows.

The Rocky Horror Show was one exception, as the revival saw its grosses inch up $120,000 to mark the final performances of Luke Evans (Dr. Frank-N-Furter), Stephanie Hsu (Janet) and Andrew Durand (Brad) The show brought in $949,446 and attendance climbed back up to 100 percent. Jake Shears ( Scissor Sisters, Kinky Boots ) is set to replace Evans starting Sept. 11, while Lorna Courtney will take over Hsu’s role and Kevin McHale will take over Durand’s starting Aug. 25.