Broadway Box Office: ‘American in Paris’ Rises, ‘Front Page’ Wows Again

The Broadway box office held steady last week, with the ups and downs at individual shows contributing to a slight overall rise in cumulative sales as one new title, “Falsettos,” came online, “The Front Page” continued to wow and “An American in Paris” climbed in advance of its imminent closing.

“American in Paris” ($937,036), which had initially announced it would close Jan. 1 before opting to throw in the towel three months earlier than that, got a nice boost that suggests it might rise even more in the final days before it goes dark Oct. 9. But the biggest boost came at the starry revival of “The Front Page” ($1,083,934 for seven previews), which sustained the stellar momentum of its first week by jumping up to the sixth rung in the Top 10 and securing a spot in the millionaires’ club — making the production, starring Nathan Lane, John Slattery and John Goodman, look like the play to beat this fall.

Also contributing to the Street’s overall rise was the addition of “Falsettos” ($247,603 for four previews), reviving a Broadway fan-favorite with Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells and Stephanie J. Block, and the expansion of “Oh, Hello on Broadway” ($396,561 for seven previews) ahead of its opening next week.

In general, none of the week’s fluctuations proved terribly notable, as Broadway continued to grapple with the aftershocks of the usual post-Labor Day downturn. Overall attendance ticked up by about 8,000 to 225,806 (or about 80% of total seating capacity), and the week’s cumulative gross rose, barely, to $22.8 million for 29 shows.

Another slowdown is likely on its way: Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashana (which this year falls on Oct. 3 and 4) tend to bring business down a notch. But sales will return in the following weeks, as holiday tourism ramps up and more new shows — like “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” starting previews Oct. 8, join the slate.

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