Broadway received some bad news today. A survey from the Broadway League found that attendance fell over 6 percent, while total gross revenue also fell slightly from the previous season. Both statistics were blamed on Hurricane Sandy, which forced shows to close for days.
The League found that the audience for the 2012-2013 season totaled 11.57 million, a 6.2 percent drop from the 12.33 million who saw shows during the 2011-2012 season. Gross revenue stayed relatively the same, with just a 1 percent drop from the 2011-2012 season. Broadway shows grossed $1.138 billion during the 2011-2012 season.
“Each season has unique factors that contribute to the overall story. In the fall, our grosses and attendance numbers were above last fall's numbers until Hurricane Sandy devastated our region. The lost performances and the understandable slower return to Broadway by our Tri State area theatregoers contributed to the decline in both grosses and attendance,” Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of the Broadway League, said in a statement. “Plus with early closings of some of our open-ended runs creating a loss in playing weeks, comparable to the decrease in attendance, there just wasn't time to recover.”
It was reported in November that the October superstorm forced the industry to take a $8.5 million loss.
The Associated Press notes that many of the high profile early closings included Jekyll & Hyde, The Anarchist, The Testament of Mary and Orphans. However, shows like Matilda, Motown, Cinderella andKinky Boots gave the industry a much-needed boost at the end of the year.
The season saw 46 new shows, including two return engagements. This includes 26 plays and 15 musicals.