Spider-Man Third Highest Grossing Show on Broadway

 

Broadway is off to a good start in 2011.   Despite the blizzard, Broadway brought in $35 million during the week of the New Year’s holiday, according to the theater trade group Broadway League. That's $6.9 million more than last year.   Sixteen musicals and one play -- The Merchant of Venice -- each earned more than $1 million.   The top earner: Wicked, which set a record for the highest-grossing show in Broadway history, with $2,228,235 for its standard eight performances.   The Lion King also nearly passed $2 million for the first time on Broadway, with $1,993,370.   The long-plagued Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which is still in previews, was a close third, grossing an impressive $1.88 million. (Both The Lion King and Spider-Man share the same director, Julie Taymor.)   On the downside, nine shows, including The Pee-wee Herman Show, closed Sunday (some of those had limited engagements).