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Signed playbills are seen backstage ahead of The Phantom of the Opera’s final performance on April 16 after 35 years on Broadway in New York City, April 12, 2023.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
After more than three decades, Broadway’s longest-running musical, “The Phantom of the Opera,” is coming to an close on Sunday.
The show is going out with a bang, too — it’s been the highest-grossing Broadway show for the past 12 consecutive weeks. On its final weekend, some tickets are going for nearly $4,000 each on third-party resell sites.
For the week ended April 9, the show’s eight performances ran at full capacity, raking in a cool $3.65 million, according to the Broadway League. For comparison, this time last year, the show brought in just over $1 million for the week ending April 17, 2022.
The show’s total ticket sales significantly increased after the announcement of its closing and extension, with a weekly gross above $2 million since mid-December and above $3 million since mid-March.
“Phantom” has been sold out for weeks, resembling its success in 1988, press agent Mike Borowski told CNBC.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical has played to over 145 million people worldwide in 41 countries, 183 cities and in 17 languages . It has received 70 major theater awards including seven Tony Awards and four Olivier Awards. In total, “Phantom” has grossed $1.3 billion in ticket sales in its lifetime.
The show also lays claim to the title of the biggest job producer in U.S. theatrical history. During its run, “Phantom” created an estimated 6,500 jobs, including those of 400 actors, in New York City. Some have been with the musical since opening night in 1988.
But it might not be farewell forever — in a recent interview with Spectrum News NY1, Lloyd Webber hinted that audiences may see Phantom’s chandelier “rise again somewhere in New York – much sooner than people might think.”
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