2015 - 2016 Broadway Season Best Attended and Highest Grossing Season in Broadway History

The Broadway League has released end-of-season statistics for the 2015 - 2016 season, which began week ending May 31, 2015 and ended May 22, 2016. For the 2015 - 2016 season, total attendance reached 13,317,980 and Broadway shows yielded $1,373,253,725 in grosses, the best attended and highest grossing season in Broadway recorded history. All new and continuing productions ran a total of 1,648 playing weeks, a record that shows this was Broadway's healthiest season.

Average paid admission for the season was $103.11, which represents a decrease for the first time in recorded history. Last season's average paid admission was $104.18.

The 2015 - 2016 Broadway season concluded with attendance up 1.6%, grosses up 0.6%, and playing weeks up 1.4%.

"The upward trend in audience growth continues for the third year in a row, and it's no surprise. With the diversity of shows on stage, we are giving theatregoers what they want. The variety of musicals and plays -- revivals and new shows -- reiterates that there is something playing for everyone," says Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League. "From fighting duels to baking pies, from blood-curdling thrillers to fables of everlasting life, this has been a truly extraordinary season on Broadway and the talent is exhilarating. This season's stories have been enhanced on stage with dancing the conga, playing the fiddle, banjo picking, tapping, rapping, and verse. Whether seeing stories about the human experience or happily being entertained, there is nothing in the world like live theatre and I'm thrilled that audiences agree."

Broadway attendance in the 2015 - 2016 season topped those of the ten professional New York and New Jersey sports teams combined. Broadway surpassed the combined sports teams by over 2.7 million attendances.

The show tally is based on the final Tony Awards determinations of categories. The final numbers in accordance with the 2016 Tony Awards determinations are as follows: 39 productions opened during the 2015-2016 season which included 16 musicals (11 new, five revivals), 20 plays (nine new, 11 revivals), and three specials.

In the 2015-2016 season, total attendance was 13.32 million, and Broadway grosses represented $1.37 billion; in the 2014-2015 season, total attendance was 13.10 million, and Broadway grosses represented $1.37 billion; in the 2013-2014 season, total attendance was 12.21 million, and Broadway grosses represented $1.27 billion; and in the 2012-2013 season, total attendance was 11.57 million, and Broadway grosses represented $1.14 billion.