Tickets sales for Chris Rock’s stand-up comedy tour have skyrocketed in the 48 hours since the star was slapped by Will Smith during the Oscars on Sunday.
StubHub, the ticket exchange and resale company, said it experienced more than 25 times the daily sales each of the past two days than occurred last month for Rock’s tour. The company added that cumulative sales over the past two days are more than the total sales for Rock’s tour in the entirety of March. Additionally, the average price of tickets sold jumped from between $150-$200 a ticket to about $250 a ticket.
“Now that we are 48 hours from Sunday evening, it’s evident that demand for Chris Rock shows has jumped dramatically, based on our ticket buying trends on StubHub,” Mike Silveira, spokesperson for StubHub told The Hollywood Reporter. “At this stage in his tour, on an average day, we’d expect to see a spike in sales in the 24 or 48 hours prior to a show date as last-minute sales roll in — but it is incredibly unusual to see the spike we have experienced. With daily sales remarkably more than twenty-five times higher than the average we have seen in the last month, we anticipate this interest will likely sustain for a short time.”
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Rock’s first show listed on StubHub is April 8 at Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio, California.
The Saturday Night Live veteran and film star has remained radio silent after he was slapped onstage by Smith after telling a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith’s wife, during the 94th Academy Awards. Smith then yelled profanities from the audience. Not long after the violent encounter, Smith received a standing ovation when he won the best actor Oscar for King Richard. For the moment, Rock is not pressing charges, authorities have said.
The slap has been polarizing, drawing both praise and condemnation from those inside Hollywood and beyond. On Monday, Smith posted an apology to Rock on social media. The Academy has confirmed that it will conduct a formal review.
