The Power of Daniel Radcliffe's Performance: A Broadway Battle Against the Blizzard
Broadway's resilience in the face of winter's wrath is a story of determination and star power. Last week, New York City's notorious winter weather dealt a blow to Broadway's box office, with cancellations and blizzard-induced audience absences causing a 17% drop in receipts across 27 productions.
But here's where it gets controversial... While the snow kept many away, some shows defied the odds and thrived. One such production was 'Every Brilliant Thing', starring the ever-charming Daniel Radcliffe. Despite losing a Monday evening performance, the show's grosses soared, reaching $980,815 for the week - a remarkable $676,388 increase from the previous week's previews.
The impact of the blizzard was felt across the board. Total grosses for the week ending March 1st plummeted to $26,036,589, down from $32 million the week before. Attendance took an 8% hit, dropping to 221,567. Even Broadway's average ticket price felt the chill, dropping to $117.51 from $130.38.
And this is the part most people miss... Productions with Monday evening performances were particularly affected. The still-popular 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child', for example, saw a drop of $411,508, bringing its weekly gross to $2,159,398. Similarly, 'Six: The Musical' and 'The Great Gatsby' experienced significant declines.
However, not all shows succumbed to the blizzard's grip. 'Chess' saw a return to form with the comeback of star Lea Michele, climbing to $1,166,962. 'Hadestown', in its final week with principal cast members like Jack Wolfe, rose to $1,303,532. And of course, 'Every Brilliant Thing', with its star-powered lead, sold an impressive 98% of seats during the snowy week.
Other shows like 'Chicago' and 'Ragtime' also managed to maintain strong attendance, selling 98% of available seats. Meanwhile, 'Moulin Rouge!', 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow', 'The Lion King', 'The Outsiders', and 'Wicked' all achieved at least 90% seat occupancy.
But not all productions were so fortunate. Shows like '& Juliet', 'Aladdin', and 'Buena Vista Social Club' saw significant drops in attendance, with similar declines reported for 'Death Becomes Her', 'Maybe Happy Ending', and others.
The top five earners for the week were 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child', 'Hamilton', 'Just in Time', 'The Lion King', and 'Wicked'.
Despite the challenges, Broadway's overall performance for the season remains strong. In the 40th week of the 2025-26 season, Broadway has grossed $1,451,715,100, a 7% increase from the previous year, with total attendance reaching 10,879,802, up 3%.
All figures courtesy of The Broadway League. For more detailed insights, visit their website.
