Broadway’s box office and attendance figures hit records

NEW YORK (AP) -- Broadway's revenue and attendance figures both hit record highs this season, fed largely by premium prices and a steady stream of more shows.

The Broadway League said Tuesday that box offices reported a record total gross of $1.36 billion -- up from $1.27 billion from the previous season. The trade association for theater owners, operators and producers said attendance was up 7.3 percent to 13.1 million.

The numbers were boosted by steadily increasing ticket prices, high demand from tourists swelling Times Square, reconfigured seating in some theaters and the use of premium-priced seating, in which some tickets are snapped up for very high amounts.

The number of playing weeks -- Broadway's occupancy rate -- was up 8.7 percent from last season's 1,496 playing weeks to end at 1,626 playing weeks.

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