Tony Awards give a Box Office boost to award-winning shows

“Leopoldstadt” and “Kimberly Akimbo,” the two shows that scooped the Tony Awards last week, saw major box office bumps in the days following that ceremony.

The increases for the award-winning shows, which were much faster than a slight increase in the overall box office, seemed to support the industry’s argument against Hollywood’s standout screenwriters that a Tony Awards broadcast can play an important role in supporting wrestling shows. Especially ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ needed the boost; despite strong reviews, it had been soft at the box office.

‘Leopoldstadt’, a heartbreaking drama by Tom Stoppard about the effect of the Holocaust on a Jewish family in Vienna, had the biggest support: the show won the Tony Award for Best New Play on June 11 and grossed for the week ending on June 18. June ended were 42 percent higher than the previous week. The gross was likely boosted by the show’s fast-approaching end on July 2.

“Kimberly Akimbo,” a quirky show about a high school student with a life-threatening genetic condition and a comically dysfunctional family life, received a 32 percent boost at the box office after winning the Best New Musical award. Written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori, the show played to packed houses all week, which was not the case before.

“After this wins, I’m like, ‘I want to see this before I leave, just because it won a Tony,'” said Brad Steinmeyer, 30, who visited from Colorado and bought tickets to win the Tony Award. see win actors in “Kimberly Akimbo” on Saturday.

Rhys Williams, 27, a New York City theater actor, also said watching the Tony Awards confirmed his decision to buy a ticket to the show.

“It made it something I didn’t want to miss,” he said.

Overall, Broadway revenues were up 6 percent last week, reflecting a combination of recovery from the effects of smoke from the previous week’s wildfires, the slow build-up to the summer tourism season, and increased exposure to Broadway shows due to the award ceremony and associated media coverage.

The other Tony-nominated musicals also saw improvement after their performances on the air, including “Shucked,” a corn-themed country music show, which was up 23 percent; “& Juliet,” a revisionist take on “Romeo and Juliet,” became pop hits, up 18 percent; “New York, New York,” about two musicians heading to the post-World War II city, which was up 17 percent; and “Some Like It Hot,” which was up 10 percent.

“Parade,” which won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, also rose 10 percent. The show is about the lynching of a Jewish businessman in Georgia in the early 20th century.

Among plays, “Prima Facie” rose 17 percent after its lead actress, Jodie Comer, won a Tony; on Tuesday, the producers announced that the play had achieved the rare feat of recouping its capitalization cost, which was $4.1 million, meaning it will now start generating profits in the days leading up to its July 2 close. But “Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” a silly comedy that didn’t make it to the Tony Awards, was up even more — 22 percent — serving as a reminder of the capriciousness of rudeness.

Ordinary performance at the Tony Awards didn’t pay off for “A Beautiful Noise,” the Neil Diamond musical, which was not nominated for any award, and suffered an 11 percent box office loss after the cast performed a sing-along version of “Sweet Caroline.” on the broadcast.

Meanwhile, “Life of Pi,” an adaptation of the bestseller that was also developed into a movie, announced on Tuesday that it would end on July 23. The play came from London after winning the Olivier Award there for best new play, and it was received generally positive reviews at its March 30 opening in New York, but never caught on with audiences. It won three Tony Awards for design, but was not nominated in the best game category; a North American tour is planned.