It’s been almost two years since The Phantom of the Opera concluded its record breaking Broadway run, and the loss of the beloved show has had an impact on the finances of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group. According to CityAM, the media company’s financial turnover for January-June 2024 was £36.5M compared to £43.6M the year before. Additionally, pre-tax profit was cut from £10.2m to £4.6m over the same period.
The Phantom of the Opera played its final Broadway performance on April 16, 2023 following 13,981 performances.
Despite the news, the company’s outlook remains positive. An official statement from RUG reads: “The long-running productions of The Phantom of the Opera in London, Starlight Express in Bochum and Cats in Japan continued their successful runs across the year. The group also benefited from a number of successful productions in the financial period, including The Wizard of Oz Palladium and UK tour, the multiple Olivier award-winning production of Sunset Boulevard in London, Jesus Christ Superstar productions in the US, Japan, Netherlands and internationally, The Phantom of the Opera productions in Vienna, South Korea and Spain, and the first ever Mandarin production of The Phantom of the Opera, which played to audiences in nine cities in China.”
Things are indeed looking up. As BroadwayWorld reported last month, Phantom is getting closer to its New York City return. An immersive production of the iconic musical is in the works. The musical’s composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, also confirmed last year that plans for this production were underway. An official timeline has not yet been announced.
Additionally, Cats: The Jellicle Ball will reportedly pounce back to Broadway later this year.
