Broadway sees rise in attendance, box office for 2013-14 season

Despite the lack of any new “Book of Mormon”-sized runaway hits, Broadway saw an upswing in attendance and ticket revenue for the 2013-14 season, with the industry reporting $1.27 billion in total revenue, up 11% from last season.

The Broadway season, which came to a close on Sunday, featured 44 new productions, including 12 new musicals and 10 new plays. Attendance for the period was 12.2 million, up 5.6% from last season.

The figures were reported on Tuesday by the Broadway League, a trade association for the Broadway community and a presenter of the annual Tony Awards. This year’s awards ceremony is scheduled to take place June 8 at Radio City Music Hall and will be broadcast on CBS.

Last season’s box-office results were negatively affected by Superstorm Sandy, which hit the New York area in the autumn of 2012 and caused widespread closures, power outages and transportation challenges.

The average ticket price of a Broadway show in the 2013-14 season was $103.88, versus an average of $98.42 last season, according to a League spokeswoman.

Among the season’s box-office hits were Disney’s “Aladdin,” which has consistently grossed more than $1 million a week since opening at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and the Carole King musical “Beautiful,” based on the life of the popular songwriter.

Celebrity casting helped to propel a number of productions including the Mike Nichols-directed revival of “Betrayal,” which starred Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz; the drama “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” with Daniel Radcliffe; and the revival of “A Raisin in the Sun,” with Denzel Washington.

The flops of the season included two new musicals -- “Big Fish,” based on the Tim Burton movie, and “The Bridges of Madison County,” based on the bestselling novel.

Long-running hits like “Wicked,” “The Lion King” and “Mormon” continued to perform strongly at the box office.