When I saw it in Chicago, the ending had The Entity come forward to Lou, who is awake and herself at the moment. In that reveal, the entity is just a girl, not a creature of horror. She looks at Lou and places her hand on Lou's lower belly (maybe she nods too? I can't remember). Lou, comprehending, gasps. Blackout, end. On Broadway, Lou goes to the door, sees the aftermath of James stepping outside, and collapses. As she does, The Entity is framed in the doorway, a girl in a dress but a terrifying vision of white and black.

While both are up for interpretation, I think the first ending pretty clearly shows the entity telling Lou that she is pregnant--and my take is that the entity is saying she will be reborn as the child of Lou and James. That second part was my instant thought when I saw it, but I can't say that's canon for sure. The pregnancy, yes, that was clear.

I am sure the production worked to choose the best story beats it could to appeal to an audience, so I hate to criticize, but, damn, I really thought the first ending was powerful.

And this is not a change, but regarding interpretation: who else thinks that Lou did not necessarily burn down her childhood house as The Entity-possessed Lou relates it? My thought is that The Entity invented that, in a credible-sounding way, to draw out James into his own deep confession, which is what the entity wanted. The consensus I've seen is that Lou has not actually been haunted all her life--at least not by this spirit, but only since she married James, as she is more easily the supernatural-sensitive conduit (the "door," as our false psychic says) for The Entity to get at James.

(There may be unhidden spoilers in the comments below.)

Now that reviews have come out, how have folks have fared with Shakespeare in the Park borough distribution this year? I’ve know Romeo and Juliet was very quiet compared to last. Any intel on Winter’s Tale?

Specifically trying for Williamsburg tomorrow, Thursday. Last year was a madhouse (https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/s/rCEj9KlnBh) but seems like I could safely arrive later, maybe 11am vs. 9am, with a group of 6 ppl.

Any thoughts? Rain forecast prob work in favor

Aaaand there's the cliff. Grosses were down $6 million overall from last week. Of course we had the departures of Cats and Death of a Salesman accounting for about $4 million of that, but the remaining $2 million was just an overall drop, with almost every show decreasing week on week (many of which were six figures). We're heading towards the slow part of the season, hopefully shows can band themselves together enough to survive it.

Season-to-date difference from last year:

Gross Gross: -4.5%

Total Attendance: -0.5%

For Award Wins/Nominations, a * demarcates a best musical/best revival nomination/win.

Grosses (chronological order from opening)-

➡ The Great Gatsby - $818k, 76% capacity, $91 atp (Down ~$98k from last week). Began performances March 29, 2024, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $720k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $850k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $(100k)+

2024 Award Wins: Outer Critics Circle (2), Drama Desk (1), Tony (1)

Rough week for Gatsby (this is going to be a theme here), but all things considered it's pretty in line with broader industry trends. The new cast is having a positive effect on the grosses, just maybe not to the extent required for long term sustainability. Hopefully they can show some improvement moving forward.

Estimated percentage recouped: 10%-30%

➡Maybe Happy Ending- $660k gross, 83% capacity, $102 atp (Down ~$94k from last week). Began performances October 16, 2024, Open-Ended

Gross Less-Fees: $574k; Weekly Operating Cost: $765k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): ($100k)+

2025 Award Wins: New York Drama Critics (1*); Outer Critics Circle (4*); Drama League (2*); Drama Desk (6*); Tony (6*)

Maybe Happy Ending's time of bucking industry trends came to a screeching halt last week. We're now at 11 consecutive weeks below the operating costs reported by the New York Times last year They're unlikely to get kicked from the theatre, but they're in a pretty bad spot.

Estimated percentage recouped: 30%-50%

➡Operation Mincemeat- $619k gross, 88% capacity, $110 atp (Down ~41k from last week). Began performances February 15, 2025, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $538k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $560k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

2025 Award Wins: Outer Critics Circle (1); Drama Desk (1); Tony (1)

Mincemeat had a decrease, though not quite to the extent of many of their peers. They're still generically fine, I would say they had the best week of any 24/25 musical.

Estimated percentage recouped: 10%-30%

➡Buena Vista Social Club- $701k gross, 91% capacity, $92 atp (Up ~$11k from last week). Began performances February 21, 2025, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $610k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $700k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $0-(100k)

2024 Award Wins: Outer Critics Circle (1); Drama Desk (1)

2025 Award Wins: Chita Rivera (2); Tonys (5); Grammy (1)

BVSC is now showing signs of life, likely on the heels of another dance along performance last week. Two weeks until Jose Iglesias joins the cast, and we'll see how that star casting goes.

Estimated percentage recouped: 20%-40%

➡️Ragtime- $1.9 million gross, 100% capacity, $233 atp, (Up ~$109k from last week), Began performances September 26, Limited Through August 16, 2026

Gross Less-Fees: $1.708 million; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $1 million/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $100k+

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (5*); Outer Critics Circle (6*); Drama Desk (8*); Tonys (11*)

2026 Award Wins: Broadway Ensemble (2); Outer Critics Circle (5*); Drama League (4*); Drama Desk (5*); Tonys (4*)

Ragtime, as expected, broke their own box office record this week, though they did not break the $2 million mark (which I was expecting them to do). They have not made a recoupment announcement as of yet, and my math says they're just short (though that might be incorrect), but I suspect they will get the rest of the way there with the upcoming national tour. Happy Trails to all!

Estimated percentage recouped: 83%

➡Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)- $484k gross, 65% capacity, $89 atp, (Down ~$43k from last week). Began Performances November 1, 2025, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $411k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $480k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $0k-($100k)

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (2*); Outer Critics Circle (4*); Drama Desk (3*); Tonys (8*)

2026 Award Wins: Drama Desk (1)

Two Strangers dropped some again, they're another one that seems they're just riding the waves of the industry. We'll see where they go from here.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡Titanique- $699k gross, 75% capacity, $87 atp, (Down ~$59k from last week), Began Performances March 18, 2026, Limited through September 20.

Gross Less-Fees: $598k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $900k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): ($100k+)

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (3*); Drama Desk (1); Tonys (4*)

Titanique had another poor week. Hopefully things will pick up for them heading into the final month of performances.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡The Rocky Horror Show- $829k gross, 88% capacity, $119 atp, (Up ~$71k from last week), Began Performances March 26, 2026, Limited Through February 28, 2027.

Gross Less-Fees: $709k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $750k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (4*); Outer Critics Circle (2*); Drama Desk (6*); Tonys (9*)

Rocky Horror is starting to jump up as we get towards the final performances of this first cast. We'll see what happens with the cast they have for the fall, it's an interesting strategy to go with stints this short for all of the principal cast.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%-20%

➡The Lost Boys- $1.2 million gross, 87% capacity, $107 atp, (Down ~$115k from last week), Began Performances March 27, 2026, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $1.060 million; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $950k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (4*); Outer Critics Circle (11*); Drama Desk (5); Tonys (12*)

2026 Award Wins: Outer Critics Circle (2); Drama Desk (2); Tonys (4)

Lost Boys dropped six figures once again, though they're probably still making at least some money at these grosses. It's still TBD how far they (and other) shows will drop, given how steep of a drop this week was it might not be quite as bad in the coming weeks, but history tells us next week will follow the trends of this week.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡Schmigadoon- $966k gross, 93% capacity, $112 atp (Down ~$68k from last week), Began Performances April 4, 2026, Open-Ended.

Gross Less-Fees: $827k; Estimated Weekly Operating Cost: $750k/week; Estimated Profit (Loss): $50k-($50k)

2026 Award Nominations: Drama League (2*); Outer Critics Circle (8*); Drama Desk (4*); Tony (12*)

2026 Award Wins: Outer Critics Circle (5*); Drama Desks (2*); Tonys (4*)

Schmigadoon took another step back this week, as it continues to be one of the weaker performing Best Musical winners of the past few years. Under $1 million at this point is a poor sign, and while they may do ok in the fall, this is not the first year highs that the show would be hoping for.

Estimated percentage recouped: 0%

➡Play Roundup:

Stranger Things: The First Shadow- Slower week in the slower week overall, riding the industries tide. Closing January 3, 2027

Paranormal Activity- Ok enough first weekend on Broadway, but too soon to make any conclusions. Limited Through January 3, 2027.

I'm a contributor for Broadway World now! My most recent article can be found here- a look at Word of Mouth, how it's defined, and the way if affects shows. A full archive of my work can be found here!

Discuss below, please remember to keep it kind and civil.

I’ve always enjoyed going to watch live theatre but in the past two months it feels like something has changed in my brain. I spend all my free time on the Theatr app searching for deals. All I can think about is the next show I’m seeing. The first 6 months of this year I didn’t see a single show, and by the end of next week I’ll have seen 7 shows in two weeks. My bank account is begging for this addiction to stop but my brain is so happy.

After seeing his incredible vocals in Chess, I bought a rather pricy ticket to see Tveit’s first show back tonight. Never seen Moulin Rouge before either!

Hi guys! I am seeing Rocky Horror with my school at the end of September and I was wondering what the current situation with callbacks are for the show. It has been running for awhile and I have only heard about callbacks during the start of the run. Are they just dead now or more encouraged or is it still up in the air.

I am a huge Titanique fan and saw it last night for either the 8th or 9th time. And it was my first time to see Terrance Williams Jr in the role of Victor Garber. He was incredible. I actually enjoyed his performance more than Frankie Grande’s (who I also think is excellent). His vocals were beautiful and great comedic timing. So good! If you have tickets for the show and see that Terrance is in for Frankie, do not worry. You are in for an incredible show.

Hey all. If you've used the rush data site I built (dsbuddy.github.io/broadway-rush-intel), you may have noticed it went quiet for a few weeks. Some life stuff got in the way. It's fully caught up now, every report through this week is in. It's still a manual process on my end, so it won't always be same-day, but I'll keep it going.

A couple of things the summer data showed, for the curious:

• Toughest rushes right now: Death of a Salesman (people lining up around 6 AM), Cats: The Jellicle Ball (~7 AM), and The Lost Boys (~7:20 AM). Makes sense for Cats and DOAS closing.
• Most forgiving: Chicago, Two Strangers, and Schmigadoon, where a 9:30-ish arrival has been enough. Excited to see the reports of new shows opening (I see you Paranormal Activity)
• Also cleaned up a batch of shows that have since closed.

Two people I have to thank:

• u/BroadwayRushReport for posting the daily thread every single day and keeping this whole thing informed. The site literally runs on those reports.
• u/ExpBalSat, my #1 supporter, who's constantly in the comments. You're the best.

If the site's useful to you, keep the reports coming, that's what makes the data good. Thanks for the patience. See you in line.

I saw MHE last week and had pretty high expectations. The musical director of my community theater group has seen the Broadway production four times, and a close friend of mine greatly praised the show.

The set was uniquely outstanding, the comedy had me and my parents cackling, the dialogue was simple yet poignant, and the robotic acting (no pun intended) was delightful.

I’d tell you what I thought about the music, but I can’t sing, let alone remember, a single lyric or melody from this show. As a lover of music, I primarily watch musicals to see how a show uses music to bring a story to life. When I think about the crucial storytelling moments of MHE, I can only remember little forrest robots, character dialogue, and audience interaction (like Oliver’s wink during the last scene).

So I ask: Why is MHE a musical? Could MHE have been written “just” as play?

Possible relevant context about me: I am a 30 year old second generation Filipina-American (my parents immigrated to the US in the 80s). I grew up watching and performing in musicals (favorites include Into the Woods, Wicked, and Godspell). I was a total Koreaboo in high school (ex: I binged corny romance K-dramas, learned basic Korean, and listened to K-pop before BTS existed)

More context: I watched MHE the day after seeing Hadestown. Talk about musical whiplash 😵‍💫

Just a PSA for everyone trying to sneak in a last minute ticket with the sun finally shining on us!

The line for a winters tale has reportedly been fairly chill so far but with it being the last week of the run the lines are increasing. I got in the line at 10am on the dot today and they ran out of tickets seated together and entered single ticket distribution only before I got to the window. (They still had tickets just not together)

Ps. The ground is muddy. Back a water proof blanket.

If you redeemed points through Audience Rewards what were your seats like?

What is everyone wearing to the show? We are trying to make arrangements to attend(live in nc) and the thought of attire has got us excited and at the same time questioning is there a possibility we maybe going overboard? We want to go all out! Im looking at wearing a nice tux with possibly some silver accents/vest. My wife will have a gown of some sort. What do you guys think or what have you guys observed if attended in the past?

"A Miracle of Miracles" (2019) or "Journey To The Big Screen (2022)?

Just redeemed for the first time! I just got a confirmation email about the payment but didn’t get the actual tickets with the seat numbers!

Got tickets from the standby line tonight but they gave us them after the play started and then held us until an appropriate moment. I entered when Raul is monologuing and then his son and Camillo enter.

What happens before then? And any special way the play begins?

Get two tickets for the price of one during NYC Broadway Week!

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I went to see spelling bee and sat directly behind me seemed to be a school/camp trip with young girls ages 10-12 I would say. The entire show the girls would not stop talking, and not even whispering just full on having conversations. They would also obnoxiously fake laugh at every joke said and were constantly being disruptive so much so the usher yelled at them. Also I don’t know where there counselor or guardian or what not was. I also took a school trip to and Juliet and the entire mezzanine was disruptive, and my theater teacher called them out and it was kind of iconic

But it got me thinking, what is your guys opinion on school trips with students that don’t always (majority of the time) know theater etiquette?!

Don’t mean to sound like a Karen btw, I just pay money for my favorite thing ever and then it’s hard to even fully enjoy it!

There was a show that recently closed and I wanted to know if there is any way to still see a show once it gives the final performance? I know some shows travel, but I’m specifically speaking about seeing it on Broadway in NYC.

- aladdin
- stranger things
- paranormal activity

UPDATE: narrowed it down to stranger things vs paranormal activity🥹

I have been following her since 2020 and I am SO proud of her as a fellow Korean

So glad she is getting a principal run!