‘Motown: The Musical’ Surges at Box Office Ahead of Tony Nominations

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times A scene from “Motown: The Musical.”

As Broadway producers and performers gird themselves for the 2013 Tony Award nominations on Tuesday morning, several shows are already fortified by strong ticket sales — so much so that Tony nominations may not make much of a difference.
Case in point: “Motown: The Musical” is the biggest box office hit among the new productions of the 2012-13 season, grossing $1,213,611 last week — better than any other musical except the blockbusters “The Lion King,” “Wicked” and “The Book of Mormon.” This success comes even though “Motown” has received mixed to negative reviews. It seems likely that fans of Diana Ross, the Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye will keep buying tickets to hear the show’s classic Motown songs regardless of whether it racks up many Tony nominations.
Among Broadway plays, the top two at the box office last week — “Lucky Guy” ($1,384,178) and “I’ll Eat You Last” ($646,102) — will probably continue to sell strongly thanks to audience interest in their stars, Tom Hanks and Bette Midler. While both actors have a good chance of being nominated on Tuesday, no one thinks ticket sales will decline if, say, Ms. Midler is crowded out by the very large field for the five best actress nominations.
The two likely front-runners for the best musical Tony, “Matilda” and “Kinky Boots,” were also in strong shape last week: “Kinky Boots” had its highest gross since performances began in March, taking in $1,112,163, and “Matilda” was not far behind with $1,107,815.
Other shows may benefit from Tony Awards recognition. The one-woman play “Ann,” starring Holland Taylor as former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, grossed a middling 24 percent of its maximum possible amount last week, while “The Testament of Mary,” starring Fiona Shaw as the mother of Christ, grossed about 27 percent of the maximum possible. Each actress drew praise from critics, and both are seen as contenders for a Tony nomination.
One musical that could use some help, but won’t be receiving any from the Tony Awards, is “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” Its producers are a long way from recouping the show’s record-setting cost of $75 million, and last week’s gross of $1,033,279 was one of its lowest yet. The musical’s weekly running expenses are between $1.1 million and $1.2 million. “Spider-Man” opened in 2011 and was eligible for Tony nominations for the 2011-12 season; it received two, for costumes and sets, but won neither.
Over all, Broadway musicals and plays grossed $24.6 million last week, compared with $24.7 million the previous week and $26.1 million for the comparable week last season.
The Tony Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.; check back here for updates and analysis throughout the morning.