'Moulin Rouge!' With Megan Thee Stallion Draws Broadway Audiences

Key Points:

• The Rocky Horror Show, starring Luke Evans, opened strongly on Broadway with 99.6% seat occupancy and a gross of $813,707, marking it as a promising hit for non-profit Roundabout Theatre.
• Other notable openings included The Balusters and The Lost Boys, both achieving 90% capacity with positive critical reception, while Schmigadoon! and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone had solid but less definitive starts due to comps and fewer performances.
• Beaches, however, struggled with only 65% seat occupancy and a gross of $476,871, facing critical disapproval and uncertain prospects pending Tony Award nominations.
• Established shows like Moulin Rouge! continued to perform well, grossing $1.64 million despite the early departure of star Megan Thee Stallion, while other sell-outs included Chicago, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Ragtime.
• Overall, Broadway’s weekly grosses rose slightly by 3% to $40.37 million but remain 21% below last year’s figures, with attendance up 2% from the previous week yet down 6% year-over-year; season-to-date gross stands at $1.75 billion, a 5% increase from last year.