🎭💸 Stat of the Day: Ticket sales on Broadway are finally shining as bright as its stagelights, following a difficult post-pandemic stretch for the industry.

The 26 productions currently showing on Broadway grossed $28.3 million last week, up ~5% from the previous week and 15% from the same period in 2024. Total attendance stood at ~236,500, up ~3% from the previous week and 15% year-over-year.

Driving the trend: The current Broadway season is full of big stars and new shows. Othello, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, recently recorded the top-grossing weekly performance in Broadway history ($2.8 million), while new shows like Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical are also exceeding sales expectations.

Looking ahead…Several highly anticipated Broadway shows are set to open in the coming weeks, including Smash, Boop! and The Last Five Years (starring Nick Jonas).

🤔 Did You Know? Research has found that swearing can reduce people’s perceptions of pain by as much as 33%, with it being more powerful in people who don’t curse as often. This is because profanity triggers the brain to release adrenaline, which leads to a soothing, analgesic effect.

📰 Worth a Read: How to stop doomscrolling