LPA Ticket Attendance and Revenue Survey 2014

Photo: Henry V - Bell Shakespeare, Michele Mossop

Musical TheatreClick for more info

The Musical Theatre category experienced strong growth between 2013 and 2014, which reflects the general volatility in the number of musical theatre productions presented nationally in any given year. Gross revenue rose by 65.6% from $193.39 million in 2013 to $320.34 million in 2014. Total attendance increased by 52.6%, whilst the increase in the average ticket price was more modest at 4.7%. This makes 2014 the strongest year for Musical Theatre in terms of gross revenue since the survey began, although attendances were still slightly below those experienced in 2007.

Major events in the Musical Theatre category in 2014 included Disney’s The Lion King, Les Misérables, Grease, Wicked, Strictly Ballroom and The Rocky Horror Show. The world premiere season of King Kong also finished its run in early 2014, but with a relatively small number of shows occurring in the current survey period.

New South Wales experienced particularly strong growth, resulting in a significant gain in industry share. This was in large part due to successful runs of The Lion King and Strictly Ballroom in Sydney. Although industry share only increased slightly in Victoria, that state also experienced overall growth in both revenue and attendances in 2014. Both The Lion King and Strictly Ballroom have 2015 seasons in Melbourne.

The AMPAG companies also experienced growth in the Musical Theatre category in 2014, with Opera Australia and John Frost co-presenting The King and I.

Close Table

Musical Theatre - Revenue and Attendance (2004–2014)

Revenue ($) Growth (%) Total Attendance* Growth (%) Average Ticket Price ($)** Growth (%)
2004 $138,718,880 1,847,505 $76.34
2005 $178,032,172 28.3% 2,460,314 33.2% $76.01 -0.4%
2006 $235,922,584 32.5% 2,806,153 14.1% $86.18 13.4%
2007 $228,854,618 -3.0% 3,358,727 19.7% $70.50 -18.2%
2008 $252,199,267 10.2% 3,129,729 -6.8% $89.23 26.6%
2009 $214,959,848 -14.8% 2,458,212 -21.5% $93.54 4.8%
2010 $242,897,364 13.0% 2,612,507 6.3% $98.84 5.7%
2011 $246,792,376 1.6% 2,799,918 7.2% $92.79 -6.1%
2012 $203,278,606 -17.6% 2,224,068 -20.6% $97.08 4.6%
2013 $193,389,763 -4.9% 2,085,131 -6.2% $100.94 4.0%
2014 $320,342,329 65.6% 3,182,478 52.6% $105.70 4.7%

*Based on both paid and unpaid tickets

** Average Ticket Prices are calculated based only on paid tickets

State/Territory Breakdown Close Table

Close Table

Musical Theatre - Revenue by State/Territory (2014)

State/Territory Revenue ($) Proportion Industry Share Change From 2013 Attendance Proportion Industry Share Change From 2013
NSW $120,109,680 37.5% 11.1% 1,130,189 35.5% 8.6%
VIC $120,268,393 37.5% 0.6% 1,202,139 37.8% 1.1%
QLD $46,998,926 14.7% -2.9% 469,308 14.7% -4.3%
WA $15,825,026 4.9% -10.5% 183,763 5.8% -7.9%
SA $15,078,072 4.7% 1.1% 173,204 5.4% 1.8%
ACT $162,896 0.1% 0.1% 3,827 0.1% 0.1%
TAS $1,899,336 0.6% 0.6% 20,048 0.6% 0.6%
NT $0 0.0% 0.0% 0 0.0% 0.0%

Photo: Strictly Ballroom - Global Creatures, Jeff Busby

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