Turn Of The Dark defies the critics, but it’s been so expensive, it has to keep this kind of performance going to break even
Despite its long list of production woes, spiralling costs and a near universal thumbs down from critics, musical Spider-Man: Turn Of The Dark has turned out to be a substantial box office hit, with record breaking attendances over Christmas.
It was the highest-grossing show on Broadway over the holiday period, shattering the record for the highest single-week gross ever for any show in Broadway history – $2,941,790.20, besting the $2,228,235 gross set by Wicked in 2011.
Now that may sounds like the kind of number-spinning favoured by PR people who don’t want you remember things like inflation and higher ticket prices. However, the show also set the record for the highest single-week attendance by any show in Broadway history. Apparently 17,375 audience members saw the show, which was – says the press release – 100.02% of the capacity of the Foxwood’s Theatre.
Hang on. 100.02%? Does that mean some people were standing in the aisles for some performances? Fire risk, surely? And this is one production where they really don’t need an accident waiting to happen…
For all those numbers, though, the show still has a long way to go before it breaks even. Deadline.com calculates that the show needs to continue to make $1.2 million a week to cover costs, so the producers will be crossing their fingers that the show doesn’t suffer a post-Christmas slump.
