Highest Grossing Broadway Season on Record Reported

Broadway saw its highest grosses on record last season with revenue up 5.9 percent and attendance up 5.4 percent, according to the Broadway League.

End-of-season statistics for the 2010-2011season, which began May 24, 2010 and ended May 29, 2011.  For the2010 – 2011 season, show $1,080,562,880 in grosses, and a total attendance of  12,534,595.

To account for variances in the calendar year and in an effort to maintain an end-of-May end to the season, a 53rdweek is added every seven years. (The last 53-week year was 2004; nextone will be 2018). 

As a point of reference, attendance through week 52 was 12.26 million, which was up 3.1% over last year’s 52-weekseason. Grosses as of last week totaled $1.057 billion and were still thehighest grossing of any season on record (up 3.6% over last year).

“The diversity of shows currently on Broadway succeeds in providing something for everyone, so it's no accident thatwe're having the biggest season in our history and even in the toughesteconomic times have over a 5-percent increase in attendance year-over-year,"commented Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The League.

In the 2010-2011 season,  42 shows opened (14 musicals, 25 plays and 3 specials).