Cats Revival Posts Record Week as Early Closing Drives a Surge on Broadway

Overview

• Cats: The Jellicle Ball posted its best weekly box office for the week ending Aug. 2, grossing about $1.405 million with standing-room-only performances ahead of a final Broadway show set for Aug. 8 announced by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
• Ragtime also hit a new house record at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont, grossing roughly $1.887 million with the highest average ticket price of the week at about $224 and a scheduled final performance on Aug. 16.
• Broadway’s 29 current productions combined to gross $33.89 million for the week, but the season-to-date total of $351.7 million remains down about 5% year-over-year, showing that sporadic spikes have not erased the broader decline.
• Higher average paid admission drove much of the late-run lift for closing and star-led shows, and producers are using tactics such as announcing a cast album for Cats via Atlantic Records to capture renewed interest and revenue.
• Industry leaders say rising running costs and elevated ticket prices are forcing early closures and putting pressure on new or large-cast projects, a trend that could lead to more short-term box-office rebounds but fewer long-running blockbusters.