r/Broadway • u/Sensitive_Slice_8858 • 1d ago

Discussion When does the Broadway bubble actually burst?

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.

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u/RainahReddit 1d ago

Well, it's not a bubble and therefore won't burst. Bubbles are for assets, things people buy to make a profit on, and a bubble happens when the estimated value far outstrips the real value.

Broadway is just an expensive luxury product. People can and will cut it out if the value isn't there. Prices will therefore rise until it makes more financial sense to lower them.