The Highest Grossing Broadway Shows of All Time

Written by Steven Thomas

The Theater District is the one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York City. According to the Broadway League, the 2017-18 season had a total attendance of 13,792,614 and grossed $1,697,458,795, making it the biggest Broadway season of all time.

 

The Lion King is the highest-grossing Broadway show of all time.

Since its opening on Nov. 13, 1997, The Lion King has earned $1,539,318,552 and counting. The average ticket price is $104.29, and the top ticket price is $251.25. So far, there have been 8,793+ performances of The Lion King, and it’s drawn raves from publications including The New York Times, which said, “There is simply nothing else like it.” It has earned 70 major theater awards internationally and is the third-longest-running Broadway show of all time.

 

  1. The top five highest-grossing Broadway shows of all time:

  1. The Lion King - $1,539,318,552

  2. Wicked - $1,250,853,323

  3. The Phantom of the Opera - $1,187,149,409

  4. Chicago - $637,883,825

  5. Mamma Mia! - $624,391,693

 

The top 5 Broadway shows with the most performances of all time:

  1. The Phantom of the Opera - 12,830 performances

  2. Chicago - 9,155 performances

  3. The Lion King - 8,759 performances

  4. Cats - 7,485 performances

  5. Les Misérables - 6,680 performances

 

  1. Hamilton has had the most expensive top ticket of all time.

The most expensive ticket for Hamilton was $998, although it is difficult to pin down a price due to resales, lotteries, and other premiums. Overall, it has been described as Broadway’s most expensive show of all time, with an average ticket price of $236.10. Hamilton received a record-setting 16 Tony award nominations, winning 11, including Best Musical.

 

Springsteen on Broadway has the highest average ticket price of all time.

Average ticket prices for Springsteen on Broadway are $505.89. Rolling Stone describes the historic residency as “an intimate triumph … one of the most compelling and profound shows by a rock musician in recent memory.”