The unprecedented closure will impact the Tony Awards and other Times Square businesses
Who says the show must go on? With New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s decision on Thursday to ban all gatherings of 500-plus people, Broadway theaters collectively went dark for at least a month — a move that could mean at least $565 million in lost revenues.
The shutdown could lead to the loss of as much as $140 million in ticket revenues, based on grosses reported by the Broadway League from the same four-week period last year. And that’s not counting the ancillary spending by tourists coming to New York City specifically to see theater, which the League last year pegged at $5.1 billion for the entire 1998-99 season. That would amount to another $425 million for a one-month period.
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There were 31 productions on the boards Wednesday night before the Cuomo-ordered closures, with another eight due to begin preview performances ahead of the April 23 eligibility for this year’s Tony Awards. “It’s really bad timing,” one one veteran Broadway executive said Friday. “But I do believe that Broadway is incredibly resilient.”
Also Read: Broadway Goes Dark Tonight as NY Gov. Bans Gatherings of 500+ People
A spokesperson for the Tony Awards did not respond to questions about the status of this year’s awards, which had been scheduled to take place at Radio City Music Hall on June 7 and will almost certainly be disrupted by the shutdown.
“It’s a really moment-to moment situation,” the exec said. “Some of the shows are still waiting to see what happens. Is it really only 30 days, or is it going to be longer?”
Even if performances do resume after April 13, there will be limited time for official premieres for the 16 shows that had been slated to debut over the next six weeks, including the London-originating musical “Six” whose opening night had been set for Thursday.
A volunteer usher for that show as well as a Laurie Metcalf-led revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week, which already raised concerns about Broadway’s ability to continue amid the growing pandemic.
Also Read: Broadway Box Office Holds Steady Despite Coronavirus Scare, But Disney Musicals Take a Hit
And it’s unclear if all of those shows will be able to open given the economic challenges for producers to cover staff costs during the down time without revenue coming in — and the expected downturn in New York City tourism that may result from the pandemic crisis.
This will be the longest shutdown in modern history. A 1975 musicians strike forced 12 musicals to go dark for 25 days, and a 2007 stagehands walkout forced a 19-day shutdown. Broadway also went dark for two days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as well as for a three-day period at the time of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
17 Top-Grossing Broadway Musicals of All Time, From 'Hamilton' to 'The Lion King' (Photos)
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A ranked list of the biggest hits on the Great White Way, as of March 8, 2020 (according to The Broadway League)
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17. "Rent" (original production)
Opened: April 29, 1996
Closed: Sept. 7, 2008
Gross: $274.2 million -
16. "The Producers"
Opened: April 19, 2001
Closed: April 22, 2007
Gross: $288.4 million -
15. "Mary Poppins"
Opened: Nov. 16, 2006
Closed: March 3, 2013
Gross: $294.6 million -
14. "Miss Saigon" (original production)
Opened: April 11, 1991
Closed: Jan. 28, 2001
Gross: $298.7 million -
13. "Kinky Boots"
Opened: April 4, 2013
Closed: April 7, 2019
Gross to date: $319.0 million -
12. "Les Misérables" (original production)
Opened: March 12, 1987
Closed: May 18, 2003
Gross: $406.3 million -
11. "Cats" (original production)
Opened: Oct. 7, 1982
Closed: Sept. 10, 2000
Gross: $407.7 million -
10. "Beauty and the Beast"
Opened: April 18, 1994
Closed: July 29, 2007
Gross: $429.2 million -
9. "Aladdin"
Opened: March 20, 2014
Closed: Still running
Gross to date: $461.9 million -
8. "Jersey Boys"
Opened: Nov. 6, 2005
Closed: January 15, 2017
Gross: $558.4 million -
7. "Mamma Mia!"
Opened: Oct. 18, 2001
Closed: Sept. 12, 2015
Gross: $624.4 million -
6. "Hamilton"
Opened: Aug. 6, 2015
Closed: Still running
Gross to date: $649.9 million -
Photo: Julieta Cervantes
5. "The Book of Mormon"
Opened: March 24, 2011
Closed: Still running
Gross to date: $659.6 million -
4. "Chicago" (revival)
Opened: Nov. 14, 1996
Closed: Still running
Gross: $681.1 million -
3. "The Phantom of the Opera"
Opened: Jan. 26, 1988
Closed: Still running
Gross to date: $1.25 billion -
2. "Wicked"
Opened: Oct. 30, 2003
Closed: Still running
Gross: $1.37 billion -
1. "The Lion King"
Opened: Nov. 13, 1997
Closed: Still running
Gross to date: $1.68 billion
A ranked list of the biggest hits on the Great White Way, as of March 8, 2020 (according to The Broadway League)
A ranked list of the biggest hits on the Great White Way, as of March 8, 2020 (according to The Broadway League)
Thom Geier
Executive Editor • thom.geier@thewrap.com • Twitter: @thomgeier