Broadway Grosses: With a Presidential Push, Hamilton Starts Off Unsurprisingly Strong at Box Office

In a box office coup surprising no one, Hamilton, the new musical created by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, debuted on the boards with a capacity over 100%, and with only seven preview performances (one of which attended by Obama), grossed nearly $1.3 million. The highly-anticipated Broadway goliath surpassed its gross potential, hitting 110.3%. We expect that number to rise alongside the average ticket price. Meanwhile, On the Twentieth Century, starring Kristin Chenoweth, ended its run at the American Airlines Theatre on July 19, appearing in the top five shows by capacity. Mamma Mia!, which will take its final Main Stem bow on September 12, celebrated its highest non-holiday week since moving to the Broadhurst Theatre and played to a capacity over 100%. Meanwhile, in the week of its opening night, Amazing Grace saw a slight increase in gross and attendance, though it still sinks to the bottom of the boards. Will word-of-mouth keep the show afloat?

Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending July 19:

FRONTRUNNERS (By Gross)
1. The Lion King ($2,620,016)*
2. Wicked ($2,167,815)*
3. Aladdin ($1,833,662)
4. The Book of Mormon ($1,654,152)*
5. An American in Paris ($1,439,179)

UNDERDOGS (By Gross)
5. A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder ($538,813)
4. On the Town ($501,525)
3. It Shoulda Been You ($392,500)
2. Hand to God ($344,030)
1. Amazing Grace ($321,914)***

FRONTRUNNERS (By Capacity)
1. Fun Home (103.38%)
2. The Book of Mormon (102.44%)
3. Hamilton (100.28%)**
4. On the Twentieth Century (100.21%)
5. Mamma Mia! (100.15%)

UNDERDOGS (By Capacity)
5. Jersey Boys (75.63%)
4. Amazing Grace (74.58%)***
3. Hand to God (74.45%)
2. It Shoulda Been You (70.71%)
1. On the Town (61.22%)

* Number based on nine regular performances
**Number based on seven preview performances
***Number based on four preview performances and four regular performances

Source: The Broadway League