25 of the Highest-Grossing Broadway Shows Ever

Fans have gone to theaters en masse to see these performances.

By Jennifer Taylor Jun 10, 2022 Start Saving Now

New York City is home to many amazing landmarks, but for theater fans, nothing compares to Broadway. The 41 active Broadway theaters — i.e., Studio 54, the Hirschfeld Theater, the New Amsterdam Theatre — have put this part of town on the map as an international performing arts destination.

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Many of the most talented artists of all time have graced Broadway stages, starring in shows like “Wicked” and “Hamilton.” Of course, as with all shows, some are much more successful than others, and some, such as “The Lion King” and “Phantom of the Opera,” have continued to sell box office seats for decades, due to their popularity.

GOBankingRates conducted a study to find out which Broadway shows of past and present have been the most profitable. Many are still active, so next time you’re in the Big Apple you’ll want to add at least one to your itinerary (though check with theaters about Covid-19 protocols).

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Think you can guess which shows made the cut? Drumroll, please — here’s a look at the 25 highest-grossing Broadway shows of all time.

Make Your Money Work for You

25. ‘Billy Elliot: The Musical’

Total Gross: $183.51 million
Average Ticket Price: $102
Seats Sold: 1.78 million
Total Performances: 1,352
Original Broadway Run: Nov. 13, 2008-Jan. 8, 2012
Revival Run(s): N/A

24. ‘Waitress’

Total Gross: $184.78 million
Average Ticket Price: $116
Seats Sold: 1.58 million
Total Performances: 1,699
Original Broadway Run: April 24, 2016-January 5, 2020
Revival Run(s): September 2, 2021-December 20, 2021

23. ‘Come From Away’

Total Gross: $193.60 million
Average Ticket Price: $123
Seats Sold: 1.55 million
Total Performances: 1,532
Original Broadway Run: March 12, 2017-present
Revival Run(s): N/A

22. ‘Matilda the Musical’

Total Gross: $198.20 million
Average Ticket Price: $94
Seats Sold: 2.10 million
Total Performances: 1,591
Original Broadway Run: April 11, 2013-Jan. 1, 2017
Revival Run(s): N/A

21. ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’

Total Gross: $212.41 million
Average Ticket Price: $101
Seats Sold: 2.10 million
Total Performances: 1,248
Original Broadway Run: June 14, 2011-Jan. 4, 2014
Revival Run(s): N/A

20. ‘Hairspray’

Total Gross: $252.20 million
Average Ticket Price: $73
Seats Sold: 3.42 million
Total Performances: 2,673
Original Broadway Run: Aug. 15, 2002-Jan. 4, 2009
Revival Run(s): N/A

19. ‘Dear Evan Hansen’

Total Gross: $256.20 million
Average Ticket Price: $168
Seats Sold: 1.51 million
Total Performances: 1,548
Original Broadway Run: Dec. 4, 2016-present
Revival Run(s): N/A

18. ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’

Total Gross: $270.51 million
Average Ticket Price: $117
Seats Sold: 2.30 million
Total Performances: 2,476
Original Broadway Run: Jan. 12, 2014-Oct. 27, 2019
Revival Run(s): N/A

17. ‘Rent’

Total Gross: $274.25 million
Average Ticket Price: $54
Seats Sold: 5.03 million
Total Performances: 5,139
Original Broadway Run: April 29, 1996-Sept. 7, 2008
Revival Run(s): N/A

16. ‘The Producers’

Total Gross: $288.40 million
Average Ticket Price: $78
Seats Sold: 3.70 million
Total Performances: 2,535
Original Broadway Run: April 19, 2001-April 22, 2007
Revival Run(s): N/A

15. ‘Mary Poppins’

Total Gross: $294.56 million
Average Ticket Price: $75
Seats Sold: 3.90 million
Total Performances: 2,649
Original Broadway Run: Nov. 16, 2006-March 3, 2013
Revival Run(s): N/A

14. ‘Kinky Boots’

Total Gross: $319 million
Average Ticket Price: $105
Seats Sold: 3 million
Total Performances: 2,539
Original Broadway Run: April 4, 2013-April 7, 2019
Revival Run(s): N/A

13. ‘Miss Saigon’

Total Gross: $322.10 million
Average Ticket Price: $28
Seats Sold: 6.60 million
Total Performances: 4,475
Original Broadway Run: April 11, 1991-Jan. 28, 2001
Revival Run(s): March 23, 2017-Jan. 14, 2018

12. ‘Les Misérables’

Total Gross: $406.30 million
Average Ticket Price: $23
Seats Sold: 8.93 million
Total Performances: 6,691
Original Broadway Run: March 12, 1987-May 18, 2003
Revival Run(s): Nov. 9, 2006-Jan. 6, 2008 & March 23, 2014-Sept. 4, 2016

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11. ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Total Gross: $429.16 million
Average Ticket Price: $50
Seats Sold: 7.61 million
Total Performances: 5,507
Original Broadway Run: April 18, 1994-July 29, 2007
Revival Run(s): N/A

10. ‘Cats’

Total Gross: $432 million
Average Ticket Price: $20
Seats Sold: 9.33 million
Total Performances: 7,401
Original Broadway Run: Oct. 7, 1982-Sept. 10, 2000
Revival Run(s): July 31, 2016-Dec. 30, 2017

9. ‘Aladdin’

Total Gross: $492.89 million
Average Ticket Price: $106
Seats Sold: 4.63 million
Total Performances: 2,758
Original Broadway Run: March 20, 2014-present
Revival Run(s): N/A

8. ‘Jersey Boys’

Total Gross: $558.42 million
Average Ticket Price: $107
Seats Sold: 5.20 million
Total Performances: 4,680
Original Broadway Run: Nov. 6, 2005-Jan. 15, 2017
Revival Run(s): N/A

7. ‘Mamma Mia!’

Total Gross: $624.40 million
Average Ticket Price: $82
Seats Sold: 7.60 million
Total Performances: 5,772
Original Broadway Run: Oct. 18, 2001-Sept. 15, 2015
Revival Run(s): N/A

6. ‘The Book of Mormon’

Total Gross: $687.18 million
Average Ticket Price: $158
Seats Sold: 4.32 million
Total Performances: 3,993
Original Broadway Run: March 24, 2011-present
Revival Run(s): N/A

5. ‘Chicago’

Total Gross: $700.75 million
Average Ticket Price: $73
Seats Sold: 9.71 million
Total Performances: 9,977
Original Broadway Run: June 3, 1975-Aug. 27, 1977
Revival Run(s): Nov. 14, 1996-present

4. ‘Hamilton’

Total Gross: $727.84 million
Average Ticket Price: $247
Seats Sold: 2.95 million
Total Performances: 2,205
Original Broadway Run: Aug. 6, 2015-present
Revival Run(s): N/A

3. ‘The Phantom of the Opera’

Total Gross: $1.30 billion
Average Ticket Price: $55
Seats Sold: 19.60 million
Total Performances: 13,611
Original Broadway Run: Jan. 26, 1988-present
Revival Run(s): N/A

2. ‘Wicked’

Total Gross: $1.43 billion
Average Ticket Price: $112
Seats Sold: 12.70 million
Total Performances: 7,128
Original Broadway Run: Oct. 20, 2003-present
Revival Run(s): N/A

1. ‘The Lion King’

Total Gross: $1.74 billion
Average Ticket Price: $108
Seats Sold: 16.14 million
Total Performances: 9,600
Original Broadway Run: Nov. 13, 1997-present
Revival Run(s): N/A

More From GOBankingRates

Jordan Rosenfeld contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: For this support piece, GOBankingRates used BroadwayWorld.com and the Internet Broadway Database (IBDB), which both source their data from The Broadway League, in order to find the top 25 highest grossing Broadway productions of all time. For each production, GOBankingRates found: (1) show name; (2) total gross for original runs and revivals as of May 15, 2022; (3) average ticket price; (4) seats sold; (5) total performances including previews; as well as (6) the dates of the original run of the productions and any revivals. All data is up to date as of May 18, 2022 and only includes data for the Broadway productions of each show, national tours and other such runs were not included in final data.

About the Author

Jennifer Taylor

Jennifer Taylor is a West Coast-based freelance writer with more than a decade of experience writing about anything and everything. Since earning her MBA, personal finance has been her favorite topic, as she’s passionate about writing stories that educate, inform and empower. Specifically, she specializes in budgeting, debt repayment, savings and retirement.