Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, revitalized by the recent casting of the film franchise’s Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, once again topped the box office roster with a magical gross of $2,939,627, outpacing even the final (partial) week of Leslie Odom Jr.’s hugely successful limited return to Hamilton ($2,745,993).
Felton, the first original Harry Potter film actor to join the stage production, began his reprised portrayal of Draco – he played the role as a child in the films and returns as an adult in the stage sequel – on November 11, and continues in the show until May 10, 2026.
While Potter, Hamilton, Ragtime, Just in Time, Art and Death Becomes Her posted strong box office numbers for last week – the post-Thanksgiving week ending December 7 – the overall biz was down significantly from the boffo holiday week. In all, the 34 shows reported total ticket sales of $42,629,351, a 12% drop from the holiday week’s $48,357,565. Attendance last week was off by about 2% from the previous week, dropping to 291,637 from 297,902. Average ticket prices were the down by more than $16, settling at an average $146.17 from the holiday week’s $162.33.
The Queen of Versailles, starring Kristin Chenoweth at the St. James, posted weak numbers, filling only about 74% of available seats and grossing just $694,724 for an average ticket price of $90.10. Earlier today, the show’s producers set an even earlier closing date – December 21 – than had previously been announced (January 4).
Among the most recent Broadway arrivals, Ragtime and Chess were the notable box office stand-outs, with the former (at non-prof Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater) selling out and grossing $1,269,532. Chess, filling 92% of seats at the Imperial, grossed $1,955,707, the fifth highest earner after Potter, Hamilton, Wicked ($2,700,183) and The Lion King ($2,410,203).
The week’s sell-outs (or just a fraction shy) were Art, Hamilton, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Just in Time, Oh, Mary!, Ragtime, Waiting For Godot and Wicked. Shows with the five top average ticket prices were Hamilton ($258.96), Just In Time ($254.75), Potter ($226.54), Art ($202.39) and Chess ($183.22). Wicked and Waiting for Godot almost made the top tier, averaging $175.25 and $171.11, respectively.
Some other notable numbers for the week:
- Oedipus, starring Mark Strong in the title role and Lesley Manville as Jocasta at Studio 54, dipped a bit from the previous week likely due to Manville missing a few performances; the gross dropped $54,257 to $792,294;
- Marjorie Prime, which opened at the Hayes last night to favorable reviews particularly for stars June Squibb and Cynthia Nixon, was at a strong 93% of capacity last week, grossing $283,007 for seven previews;
- Strong reviews for two other newcomers – Liberation at the James Earl Jones and Little Bear Ridge Road at the Booth – didn’t lift the productions beyond middling attendance, with the former filling 55% of seats and grossing $378,904 and the latter at 68% for a take of $422,091;
- Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) at the Longacre grossing $627,565, with 73% of seats occupied.
Season to date, Broadway, in the 28th week of the 2025-26 season, has grossed $1,001,973,857, up about 11% over last year at this time, with total attendance of 7,607,462 up 4%.
All figures courtesy of The Broadway League. For more box office information visit the League’s website.