Hiddleston and Atwell Debut at Winter Garden

Shakespeare productions on Broadway often rely on star power to draw early audiences, and the new revival of Much Ado About Nothing is testing that strategy. Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell head the cast, which opened its preview run last week.

The production, directed by Jamie Lloyd, transferred directly from London to the Winter Garden Theatre. The initial preview performance filled the house to 100 percent capacity. Ticket sales for that single show totaled $358,262. The average ticket price came to $238, which was the second highest average price on Broadway for that specific week. If pricing holds, the play will rank among the top weekly grossers.

Other Desert Cities remained the top earner on Broadway for the week. The play, which stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Allison Janney, and Joe Keery, generated $2.35 million. It also recorded the highest average ticket price in the district at $301. Hamilton held the second spot with $2.31 million in weekly earnings. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child followed with $1.63 million. The musical MJ earned $1.61 million, and The Lion King reported $1.56 million.

Billy Crystal’s solo show, 860, ranked sixth with $1.35 million. That figure includes three performances with heavy comping for press members, meaning actual paid revenue was likely lower. Another new entry, A Few Good Men, brought in nearly $1.3 million. The production, starring Bradley Whitford and Tom Blyth, played to full houses during the week, though opening night and several press tickets were free.

Overall Broadway grosses fell by 13 percent for the week. Attendance figures decreased by 4 percent. Industry analysts attributed the decline to competition from Halloween and the New York City Marathon, which drew local and tourist audiences away from the theater district.

Existing shows also saw shifts in performance. Downstate dropped to 87 percent occupancy from 94 percent as it expanded its schedule from six to eight weekly performances. The play earned $275,085 during the week. The musical Wanted saw attendance fall to 82 percent from 93 percent, with weekly grosses dropping to $508,919.

The official opening for Much Ado About Nothing is scheduled for November 19. Downstate opens on November 15, and Wanted opens on November 8.