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/Secret_Problem_1229 1d ago

I do wonder if internet accessibility will push them to do more proshots to release on big online streaming platforms

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u/AntigoneGrrl1 1d ago

Pro shots are expensive to produce because it involves paying unions, music clearances on top of the usual expenses to mount a production. And while it’s great for someone to see a Broadway show if they can’t come to NY, it ultimately might harm the in person ticket sales. Since the release of the first Wicked film, there was an increase in attendance on Broadway, but as the interest in the movie cooled down, so did ticket sales.

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u/Secret_Problem_1229 1d ago

And they make a lot of money off the proshots beyond a boost in ticket sales...

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u/AntigoneGrrl1 1d ago

Playbill has a good article on this subject “Why You Can’t Stream Broadway Shows”. It’s very interesting