BroadwayRadio Grosses Report: January 28, 2026

Host: Matt Tamanini

Main Theme:
This episode breaks down the impact of a severe snowstorm on Broadway's weekly grosses for the week ending January 25, 2026, examines which shows weathered the storm, and discusses broader safety and financial concerns for workers and audiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Snowstorm’s Massive Impact on Broadway (00:01–02:45)

• A heavy snowstorm affected the Midwest and Northeast, including NYC, leading to numerous canceled performances.

• Only 17 of 31 Broadway shows managed a full eight-show week.

  “Obviously the entire Midwest and Northeast was blanketed with a heavy snowstorm that included New York City. And even if a bunch of Broadway shows had not canceled performances, the likelihood that people would have been in the seats was fairly minimal.”
  — Matt Tamanini [00:18]

• Many shows canceled due to performer and staff safety concerns. Those that remained open saw reduced attendance.

2. Weekly Grosses and Attendance Overview (00:30–01:30)

• Weekly grosses: $29,950,531 (↓14% from the previous week; ↑1% over same week in 2025)

• Total attendance: 250,682 (↓24,000 people; ↓9%)

• Average ticket price: $119.48 (↓$5 from last week)

• Top shows by gross:

  • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: $2,124,053 (seven-performance week)
  • Hamilton: $1,948,375 (eight performances)
  • Wicked: $1.79M
  • Mamma Mia: $1.4M (seven performances)
  • Chess: $1.4M

  “Despite the fact that all of this craziness happened last week and the fact that it only played seven shows, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was still able to bring in over $2 million leading the way.”
  — Matt Tamanini [01:05]

• Other seven-figure earners: Just In Time, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, The Lion King, Maybe Happy Ending.

3. Challenges with Comparisons & Season-to-Date Stats (01:45–02:15)

• Host notes difficulty in comparing weeks due to cancellations: “Of course it is pretty difficult to compare apples to apples with all of this, but these types of weeks will happen every year...” [01:50]
  • The storm hit over the weekend, compounding revenue losses.

Season Cumulative Totals (35th week of 2025–2026 season):

• Total gross: $1,298,608,603 (↑8% over previous season)
• Total attendance: 9,643,085 (↑3%)

4. Notable Show Performance: ‘Just In Time’ (02:20–02:50)

• Jonathan Groff’s return as Bobby Darin post-vacation fueled a box office jump for Just In Time ($1.4M).
• Just In Time was the only show north of 100% capacity: 101.74%.

5. Worker and Audience Safety vs. Financial Pressures (02:51–06:30)

• Ongoing debate about canceling shows: Producer decisions weighed between safety and maximizing revenue.

• Some shows canceled due to large numbers of staff callouts (not just cast, but crew and front of house).

  “...whatever your job is, you should be able to feel safe that you can get to work and do your job without having to worry about massive delays or getting stranded or potentially much worse, freezing to death...”
  — Matt Tamanini [04:20]

• Emphasizes producers’ responsibility to safeguard staff and audience, even with financial pressure to avoid cancelations.

  “If you can't guarantee that your workers are safe during something like this, you can't guarantee that your audience is safe. And that in turn makes for a worse experience going to the theater...”
  — Matt Tamanini [05:10]

• Notes that theater is a “finite product”—lost performances can’t be made up the next day.

• Suggests future storms should inspire more “judicious” decisions that balance financial imperatives and human safety.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was still able to bring in over $2 million... leading the way at $2,124,053 bucks.”
  [01:05]

• “Mamma Mia only did seven shows, so on average probably would have been a bit higher as well.”
  [01:25]

• “It really isn’t incumbent on the producers and the theater owners and all of the companies that manage individual workers... to make sure that they are taking care of their workers.”
  [04:30]

• “Once a show is gone, you can’t make that up. So I understand wanting to maximize your profits, but if you can’t guarantee that your workers are safe... you can’t guarantee that your audience is safe.”
  [05:00]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:01–00:30: Introduction & snowstorm context
• 00:30–01:30: Grosses, attendance numbers, and top shows
• 01:45–02:15: Difficulty in week-to-week comparison & cumulative stats
• 02:20–02:50: ‘Just In Time’ surges with Groff’s return
• 02:51–05:30: Safety concerns and industry response analysis
• 05:31–06:30: Host’s recommendations for future weather events

Tone and Final Thoughts

• The episode is factual, analytical, but empathetic to both economic and personal sides of the Broadway ecosystem.
• Matt’s tone is measured, urging a responsible balance between show business and safety.
• The episode is notably concise given the storm’s dramatic effect on the week’s numbers, but insightful for audiences interested in Broadway’s operational realities.