‘Grease: Live’ Is a Smash Hit in Early Ratings, But Shy of ‘The Wiz Live’
Fox will totally take its 7.4 household rating for now
Tony Maglio | February 1, 2016 @ 7:08 AM
Last Updated: February 1, 2016 @ 10:11 AM
Fox
Congrats, Greasers and Fox execs: “Grease: Live” is a big hit — but not as big as NBC’s recent “The Wiz” revival.
Fox’s Sunday night live musical effort earned a 7.4 rating/11 share in the 56 metered market households. “The Wiz Live” in December scored a 7.9/13.
National numbers can certainly tell a different tale, and these should be considered very preliminary indicators. Fast national ratings — and then final data — should be out within a few hours.
Comparisons between “Grease” and “The Wiz” are about as well as we can do at this point, though they’re admittedly imperfect. After all, last night’s musical was Fox’s first, whereas NBC got two tries before “The Wiz Live,” with “The Sound of Music Live” and “Peter Pan Live.”
Plus, NBC is currently still the top-rated broadcast network in the key 18-49 demographic — where it’s been for a few years now — and Fox sits in third place.
Either way, “Grease” was a resounding success, both quantifiably and critically. The live event was also massive on social media, and the cast’s album is selling quite well on iTunes already.
17 Top-Grossing Broadway Musicals of All Time, From 'Hamilton' to 'The Lion King' (Photos)
A ranked list of the biggest hits on the Great White Way, as of March 8, 2020 (according to The Broadway League)
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