Broadway brings in record revenue

New York’s Broadway theaters posted a record $748.9 million in revenue this year, 3.2% more than in 2003, the League of American Theaters and Producers reported Tuesday.

Paid attendance, or the number of tickets sold for Broadway shows, reached 11.3 million. That’s up 2.2% from last year, the trade group said.

Midway through the 2004-05 Broadway season, which runs from June to June, revenue and ticket sales are little changed. But more than 20 plays and musicals will open in the next six months, a boon as the weak dollar draws tourists to New York at levels not seen since before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, league President Jed Bernstein said. Foreign visitors make up 11% to 12% of Broadway audiences, he added.