Broadway Grosses: Box Office Perky as New Shows Rev Up

As Broadway rushes head-on into a month packed with opening nights (after the September 29 bow of A Steady Rain, 10 shows are scheduled to face the critics in October), overall box office numbers remained generally strong for the first week of fall. As in the previous week, the team of Hugh Jackman & Daniel Craig continued doing sellout business as a pair of Chicago cops facing a desperate situation in the new play A Steady Rain. The super-heroes joined five musicals in the enviable $1 million club.

Here is a look at who was on top and who was not for the week ending September 27:

FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. Wicked ($1,481,120)
2. Billy Elliot ($1,393,384)
3. The Lion King ($1,204,242)
4. A Steady Rain (1,153,779)*
5. Jersey Boys ($1,146,890)

UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. Superior Donuts ($261,141)*
4. Wishful Drinking ($232,375)*
3. After Miss Julie ($203,207)*
2. The 39 Steps ($201,071)
1. The Royal Family ($176,953)*

FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. God of Carnage (101.39%)**
2. Jersey Boys (101.19%)
3. A Steady Rain (100.08%)*
4. Billy Elliot (100.03%)
5. Wicked (99.41%)

UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. Hamlet (71.26%)
4. Wishful Drinking (67.44%)
3. The 39 Steps (65.58%)
2. Shrek the Musical (62.73%)
1. Mary Poppins (58.95%)

Data provided by the Broadway League.
*Number based on eight preview performances.
**Number based on seven regular performances.