BroadwayRadio Grosses Report: February 11, 2026

Host: Matt Tamminini

Overview

This episode presents an in-depth breakdown of Broadway grosses and attendance for the 36th week of the 2025–2026 season, reflecting on box-office trends, closed shows, surprise hits, and a highly anticipated new musical premiere (“Galileo”) featuring Raul Esparza and Joy Woods. The tone is conversational and analytical, delivering both statistics and industry insights.

Weekly Broadway Statistics (00:01–04:15)

• Number of Shows:
  • 29 productions played last week, down by 2 due to the closing of Mamma Mia! and Liberation.
• Total Grosses:
  • $30,170,014 total, down about 5% ($1.6 million) from the previous week.
  • Still 7% higher than the same week in 2025.
• Attendance:
  • 256,752 attendees, also down 5% (nearly 13,000 fewer than the prior week).
  • Nonetheless, 4% above last year’s attendance.
• Average Ticket Price:
  • $117.05, barely changed (dropped just $0.30), up 4% over last year.

Quote:
“Average ticket price though remained pretty steady, dropped just three dimes to come in at $117.05, up 4% over last year.” — Matt Tamminini [01:34]

Top Grossing Shows (04:16–05:30)

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: $2,339,937 (down about $25k week-on-week)
• Hamilton: just under $1.85 million
• Wicked: ~$1.6 million
• The Lion King: $1.5 million
• Stranger Things: The First Shadow: ~$1.4 million
• Other $1M+ shows: Chess, Chicago, Just In Time, Oedipus (in its final week), Ragtime, MJ, Maybe Happy Ending

Notable Increases and Drops (05:31–08:15)

Major Gains

• Oedipus:

  • Final week at Studio 54; set a new house record at $1,212,949.
  • Up $279,616 from prior week.

• Chicago:

  • Massive jump to $1.3 million from last week’s $659,765.
  • Attributed to the casting of Whitney Levitt (Dancing with the Stars, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives).
  • Host notes, “Chicago really, really does well when it brings in reality stars…”
    [05:57]

• Maybe Happy Ending:

  • Rose by $311,686 compared to previous week.

Memorable Moment:
“That fact that it was at $659,765 last week and it’s now at 1.3 million, yeah, just wild. Good for them.”
— Matt Tamminini on Chicago’s surge [06:30]

Largest Drop

• Omari at the Lyceum Theater:

  • Down nearly $209,000 from previous week at $845,264.
  • Started new run with John Cameron Mitchell.
  • Attendance remained high (96.55%).

• Analysis:

  • Cast transitions often cause short-term box-office dips, “as much about the new people coming in as it is actually about the people who are leaving.” [07:18]

Attendance & Capacity Insights (08:16–09:22)

• 23 out of 29 shows played at 90% capacity or more.
• Three shows played above 100% capacity:
  • Ragtime: 100%
  • Oedipus: 100.16% (sold out)
  • Just In Time: 101.32% (“down in the basement of Wicked”)

Quote:
“Just In Time, down in the basement of Wicked, continues to lead the way at 101.32%.”
— Matt Tamminini [09:11]

Season-to-Date Perspective (09:23–10:38)

• Season totals:
  • Gross: $1,360,545,472 (up 8% year-over-year)
  • Total attendance: 10,169,492 (up 3%)
• Weather cited as influencing recent attendance patterns, but improving temperatures and Broadway Week 2-for-1 deals are helping.
• Fewer March/early April Broadway openings than usual may affect post-Broadway Week boosts.

Quote:
“We don’t have nearly as many shows opening in March as we have in previous years…so it’s really tough to see that big boost coming in after Broadway week is over...”
— Matt Tamminini [10:08]

Exciting Broadway News: 'Galileo' Announcement (10:39–14:03)

• New musical: Galileo
  • Begins previews at Shubert Theatre: November 10, 2026
  • Official opening: December 6, 2026
• Creative & Cast:
  • Raul Esparza (Galileo Galilei) — 4-time Tony nominee; first time back on Broadway in 13 years
  • Joy Woods, Jeremy Kushner
  • Book: Danny Strong (also of Chess); Score: Zoe Sarnak and Michael Weiner
  • Director: Michael Mayer; Choreography: David Newman
• Esparza “the type of guy who if this show is good... could be somebody who kind of gets the extra push over the edge for kind of like that lifetime achievement kind of award.” [12:41]
• Cautious optimism:
  • Out-of-town tryout at Berkeley Rep got mixed reviews (“needs some work, but it is still good and it has the opportunity to be great, which is what you want to do with an out of town try” [12:02])
  • Host warns, “Critics and audiences out of town are different than the ones you have in New York. They’re not nearly as critical...” [12:57]
• No confirmed interim tenant for the Shubert between Hell’s Kitchen’s closing and Galileo’s load-in (“Maybe the Shubert will be empty from March through November... but I think that would be kind of a waste.” [13:28])

Notable Quotes

• “Chicago really, really does well when it brings in reality stars and it feels like they have landed on another good one.”
  — Matt Tamminini [05:57]
• “If this show is good… he could be somebody who kind of gets the extra push over the edge for kind of like that lifetime achievement kind of award.”
  — Matt Tamminini on Esparza [12:41]
• “I always am a little suspect when people are like, ‘this show is great out of town’ because… I think all shows need to make big changes when before they come to Broadway.”
  — Matt Tamminini [12:07]

Closing Thoughts

• The box office remains robust compared to last season despite recent dips.
• Spring openings are lighter than usual; host suggests Broadway Week promos are keeping attendance healthy.
• High anticipation for Galileo, especially with Raul Esparza’s Broadway return.
• Uncertainty remains regarding what will play at the Shubert Theatre before Galileo begins.

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