Broadway Raked In $1.8B Last Year With 14.7M Ticket Sales

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Broadway is booming. More people went to see musicals and plays on Manhattan's main stretch in the past year than any other season in Broadway history, according to statistics released by The Broadway League.

Broadway productions drew a total attendance of 14,768,254 between May 2018 and May 2019, racking up a record $1.83 billion in just 52 weeks, the Broadway League announced. The numbers were a big jump from the previous season's total of 13.79 million and $1.7 billion.

"The trend is clear, Broadway has never been more appealing to so many different people ranging from kids to grandparents and everyone in between. This substantial growth in attendance clearly reflects the large variety of offerings including long running shows, new hit productions and stories relevant to our society today," Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League, said in a statement.

St. Martin added that the majority of Broadway tickets now sell for less than $100, which means shows have been more accessible than at any time before. Attendance at Broadway productions topped the combined attendance of all 10 professional New York and New Jersey sports teams, the organizations said.

The rise in attendance for this year's Broadway is likely related to a rise in overall tourism. New York City has experienced nine years of continued tourism growth, according to the city's tourism agency NYC & Company. In 2018, a record 65.2 million visitors — 51.6 million domestic and 13.5 million international — vacationed in the city, according to NYC & Company.

The tourism agency predicts more than 67 million people will visit New York City in 2019.