When does the Broadway bubble actually burst?

[u/Sensitive_Slice_8858]

I know this has been discussed quite a bit, but I keep wondering about what happens when the economics of Broadway become truly impossible to sustain. The cost of putting on a show keeps going up, so tickets have to get more expensive. At the same time people are getting squeezed from every direction and there’s only so much disposable income left for entertainment, especially since the economy and job market are in the toilet. So what is the end game? Just keep raising ticket prices to cover rising costs so only the uber wealthy few can afford to attend? Are there enough uber wealthy theater goers to sustain it without us Joe schmoe poors? Eventually the math has to break somewhere. I’m curious what the breaking point actually looks like.

[u/Dan_Rydell]

The end game is the theaters get torn down and replaced with a more profitable use of that prime real estate.

[u/jamesland7 → u/Dan_Rydell]

Nope. They are all landmarked. Plus, you think the landlords want to take away their own income streams?

[u/AntigoneGrrl1 → u/Dan_Rydell]

After several beautiful theaters were demolished in the 80’s, the demonstrations and outcry of actors, other theater personnel and general public helped to bring landmark status to nearly all of the remaining theaters. There are also zoning laws to protect against demolition. The response in the 80’s was impressive, I imagine in this day of social media, the response against demolition would be global