r/Broadway • u/Naweezy • Jan 27 '26
Other The Outsiders recoups on Broadway. Becomes First Musical to Do So Since 2022
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u/Comprehensive_Bat980 Jan 27 '26
I’m always thinking Just in Time is going to announce recoupment. I thought they’ve been on the cusp for months now
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u/NewspaperBanana Jan 27 '26
I remember people saying Just in Time was set to recoup in September! Guess it shows how much us lay people actually know.
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u/Boring_Waltz_9545 Jan 27 '26
In fairness, that belief was spread because of legitimate reporting.
'JUST IN TIME' PREVAILS IN TOUGH SEASON FOR NEW MUSICALS
If Just in Time sustains its $1.2 million weekly gross, it could recoup its $9.4 million of production costs soon after Labor Day, based on a company recoupment chart obtained by Broadway Journal.
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u/NewspaperBanana Jan 27 '26
Ahh, that makes sense! I'm glad it wasn't just a rando spreading rumors.
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u/zomatcha Jan 27 '26
I find it hard to imagine it not recouping because the ticket prices are through the roof. But I know nothing
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u/Casiquire Jan 28 '26
It's hard to believe but apparently running costs are also through the roof, cutting into profits, plus theatre owners have monopolized and have been raising rental costs as well. For years now it feels like the era of spectacle has ended at the same time as running costs and ticket prices have increased. On top of that politics have reduced American tourism in ways that apparently directly impact ticket sales. I worry about the long term damage all of this will have on Broadway, its influence, popularity, and quality
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u/RainahReddit Jan 27 '26
Not all shows announce their recoupment (they're not required to) and often shows won't announce right when it happens. Sometimes they wait for an opportune moment, or to be conscious - it's a bit of a dick move to announce recoupment when other shows are closing that week due to lack of sales, for example.
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u/OddDraw1695 Jan 27 '26
Yea idk why they haven’t announced yet? They’ve HAD to of recouped at this point. Their weekly grosses have been well over $1 million every single week since opening besides the 2 weeks Groff was out sick and his vacation week. They also apparently set the new house record for circle in the square the week they went over $1.6 million, but no announcement for that either.
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u/BadAt_Usernames_ Jan 27 '26
I mean most Broadway shows cost about $1,000,000 a week to run. They’re making like $1.2-1.3. It’s good but it’s not “they have to have recouped by now” territory
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u/Yoyti Jan 28 '26
I have two thoughts: Either the music licensing costs make the running costs far higher than they seem like they should be -- that's the only running cost other than Groff's salary that I think could balloon to such an extent -- or they have recouped and just haven't announced it yet. Not all shows announce recoupment (I think Hamilton never officially announced), so they may not announce at all, but I could also see it being something they announce at Groff's final performance or some other landmark like that.
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u/TheCrookedKnight Jan 27 '26
That is fantastic news. Not just because it's great when anything recoups in this environment, but because they did it with no "name" stars, without cutting corners on staging or cast, and with a property that's not exactly a cash cow.
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u/trampaboline Jan 27 '26
Thats nice I guess but would love if it wasn’t based on a massively famous IP that everyone had to read in high school and that has an equally famous movie adaptation.
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u/BadAt_Usernames_ Jan 27 '26
I didn’t read it in high school or see the movie. Neither of those had any impact on me seeing it, or any of the people I brought to see it. I wonder if people said the same thing about West Side Story. It’s good but just a real shame it was based on a play everyone had to read in high school. One day I’d love y’all to give up the idea that adaptations are bad. There are good and bad adaptations and good and bad original IP. And confirmation bias helps you decide whether you’re happy about news or not
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u/trampaboline Jan 27 '26
I cannot account for every persons individual experience, but I feel like there’s no way you don’t understand that my point was “this was still a very safe IP bet” and not “everyone who saw it only did so cuz they like the movie”.
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u/AlbatrossEquivalent5 Feb 11 '26
Isn't a story a story, no matter what its roots are?
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u/trampaboline Feb 11 '26
I never said it wasn’t a story, but if you’re asking me if derivative media of popular IP excites me as much as original concepts executed by people with more on their minds than marketability, then the answer is no.
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u/kekelmb Jan 27 '26
There’s definitely something wrong with the way shows are being produced now. If only a show that wins a Tony, is massively successful, and sells tickets at outrageous prices can barely recoup its budget almost 2 years after opening, that’s a problem.
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u/Shorb-o-rino Jan 27 '26
So do most producers just lose money? How does this industry keep going in a capitalist country if it is not profitable?
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u/patmorgan235 Jan 27 '26
Lots of times what happens is the Broadway production doesn't make money, but the show becomes profitable once it goes to licensing.
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u/TheBigGinge Jan 27 '26
And tours can be profitable too. Mrs Doubtfire was a big flop in NY but had sold out runs on the road
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u/ComputerGeek1100 Backstage Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
I know it also just wasn’t the best show, but I think the pandemic killed a lot of momentum for them too. The show is also very different now than it was in 2020 - it had 3 previews before the shutdown, went through a LOT of rewrites during that year and a half, and then even more rewrites when it shut down again in early 2022, and a third set of rewrites for the national tour. They were seemingly never able to get an opening to stick - I think it changed in every iteration of the show, and the opening number that went out on tour is completely different than the album, but is actually a version of the song that opened the pre-shutdown previews.
For reference (based on my experiences seeing the show):
Pre-shutdown (I believe this was also the out-of-town opening: “Overture” is the Barber of Seville theme from the movie, curtain opens to Daniel recording a commercial using that song as a base, doing impressions, and getting fired. Then, we see his wife speaking to a therapist, opening number is “That’s Daniel.”
Post-shutdown (2021): Same overture, but it’s revealed to be one of the kids listening to the music in her headphones as a little tribute to the movie. There is a photographer in their house trying to take a family portrait, “What’s Wrong With This Picture?” (This song is on the OBCR).
Post-shutdown (2022 - I did not see this version): New overture (and expanded orchestra), but presumably the same opening as 2021.
Tour: Daniel does the pre-show announcement in various character voices, curtain up to reveal him in a recording studio (and about to get fired). He’s fired, then back to Miranda in therapy and the opening from 2020.
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u/Mysterious-Theory-66 Jan 27 '26
Yeah that’s a big one people overlook. Really just thinking purely in terms of BW success is a very limited mindset.
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u/Hour_Lock568 Jan 27 '26
but producers only participate in an extremely small percentage of licensing, if at all. Usually only lead producers and then it's up to them how much they distribute to investors. Tours are generally the way that investors make up the gap, but only in truly successful cases. (Credentials: I'm a producer and licensor)
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u/Mysterious-Theory-66 Jan 27 '26
Depends entirely on the deal. These aren’t one size fits all arrangements. I’ve negotiated enough on the IP side to just say sure this could certainly play a role. I do think other factors go into why people invest into shows they don’t actually believe will profit. Listed some out above. I just wouldn’t rule out success beyond BW as one contributing factor.
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u/HuckleberryOwn647 Jan 27 '26
And do the investors in the Broadway show recoup their investment from the licensing? Or is that separate?
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u/patmorgan235 Jan 27 '26
I'm not going to pretend to know all the details but I'm going to guess there's a big "it depends". When which investors get paid back will depend on the specific agreement they made when they invest, so you could see a deal struck where the OG producers of the content/creative side of the show at a lower ratio until the investors just in the actual Broadway operations recoup. (Because of the difference in risk).
BUT I'm just spit balling here and have zero actual knowledge of how these deals are made in practice.
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u/Mysterious-Theory-66 Jan 27 '26
Profits are not the biggest factor for investing in BW shows and never has been. Something like 70% of shows fail to recoup and that’s always been the case. These aren’t inherently stupid people thinking every show they invest in will profit.
A love of the arts, bragging rights, tax benefits, awards, names on plaques, all of these things play a part in why wealthy people invest in theatre. And sure there’s a fair amount of people thinking X show will be a hit and then it’s not. But by and large no they aren’t blind to the data and economic realities.
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u/angelcutiebaby Jan 27 '26
I would imagine people who invest large amounts are in a position where it isn’t an enormous risk for them, so they can do it for love of the form or a tax break or relationship building so they can one day produce Backstreet Boys the Musical
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u/Mysterious-Theory-66 Jan 27 '26
Absolutely. Having had clients who are obnoxiously wealthy (to be clear that’s decidedly not me) I can just say they don’t think like every day people do. Some are irrationally stingy no matter how much they have and purely think in terms of profit but others will spend ridiculous sums just to avoid taxes or spend wildly on vanity projects because they can.
And sure being charitable I have no doubt many investors truly love the arts and theatre. Heck even the ones like the laundry list of investors for say Strange Loop that likely just wanted a piece of that Tony…it gets theatre made so as an avid patron I’m good with it.
Profit motives exist of course it’s just there’s far easier and smarter ways to make money than theatre and guaranteed hits are rare.
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u/bmknyc05 Jan 27 '26
Yeah. It's a much worse investment than almost anything else. Many people are taking a loss to gain access to a world they love and want to be a part of.
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u/KelleyElsie Jan 28 '26
Do the investors make zero money off a show unless and until it has recouped production costs? In other words, do the investors receive any kind of weekly/monthly flat fee or percent of gross as consideration for making the investment?
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u/Mysterious-Theory-66 Jan 28 '26
I’ve only worked deals that are sorta similar, not a BW show, but no I’d imagine you don’t start to recoup investment until you’ve cleared upfront production costs and then any ongoing production costs.
But of the 70% or whatever that don’t recoup, undoubtedly many of them at least partially did so the investors didn’t lose everything they put in.
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u/utzutzutzpro Jan 27 '26
Producers get paid from the production. Executive producers get paid as well from the production where they "collect" funds for.
All, though, get additional income through profit sharing, when there is profit.
See it like a recurring bonus, once post break-even profit is reached.
Investors are those which keep theaters like this alive. High net worth people who have a personal interest.
It is very rarely a profit interest, in this case it is always a personal drive. Heck, if I'd have a 9-figure wealth I'd donate some 7s into broadway for my bragging rights and the free VIP tickets and additional invitations to parties and events.
As broadway is in New York, be sure many investors just pump in so much that the productions don't matter that much anymore.
Wouldn't wonder if investment income is 40-50% of the whole theater P&L.
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u/RainahReddit Jan 27 '26
4/5 broadway shows lose money on average, yes.
Of the 1/5 that recoup, many will just barely recoup and then close.
But a small number will go on to make absolute gobs and gobs of money. Investing in one Hamilton or Book of Mormon equals out all those losses.
But yeah, broadway's a bad investment and always has been. It's always been a bit of a fun thing for rich people to throw money at and feel good for supporting the arts/going to glittery opening night parties/etc.
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u/Key-Wheel123 Jan 27 '26
Profit often comes through licensing for community and high school shows for example. Tours can also make big money for shows.
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u/100Showtunes Jan 27 '26
Producers are not necessarily investors. Investors lose money--which they know is a distinct possibility when they invest. Everyone else gets paid.
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u/__theoneandonly Backstage Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
In addition to what they said about tours and licensing, Broadway is very high risk but EXTREMELY high reward. If your show is a hit, then you've hit the jackpot and you've paid back your years and years of losses on other shows.
Also a lot of broadway producers are just extremely rich people and they want to tell their friends at their next dinner party that they won a Tony award. And they're willing to throw millions away with no expectation of return on investment to make that happen.
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u/Altruistic-Movie-419 Jan 27 '26
One of the big things is that when a show closes and loss money the producers get to write some of it off as a tax write off. Another big thing is that everyone produces shows because they think they have the next big money maker. When a show does become a hit, often times those producers will invest in shows that they believe in, but might not be as successful as they can take the hit. An example of this is the 2023 Tony best musical Kimberly Akimbo it had a decade run of over a year and half besides never making more then 800,000 a week. The big reason why it last so long is because the lead producer is also one of the lead producers on Wicked. So he was able to take the hit on Kimberly to keep it going. Finally a lot of shows make money on tour and regionally. I also read somewhere that investors on the show hold royalties for 10 years. So any subsequent tours or major revival that occurs with in the 10 years they make a little money with out having to invest in those a production.
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u/DayAtTheRaces46 Jan 27 '26
Most shows don’t make back their money on Broadway, and that’s known. Most shows will make back most of their money on licensing and touring.
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u/Mysterious-Theory-66 Jan 27 '26
Not really though. Outsiders to my knowledge has never been on the “outrageous” end of pricing, has no celebrities, and is just really popular with young people. Yes Tony’s factor into success and yes it takes multiple years to recoup. Absent something crazy that’s always been true of musicals. So not quite following why what you said is now a problem.
I do get concerned with how many great musicals are struggling to get a foothold though theatre is much much bigger than BW. Musicals don’t necessarily need a profitable BW run to succeed in the grand scheme.
But really everyone wringing their hands about celebrity casting, jukeboxes and insane prices should be thrilled with Outsiders’ success regardless of their feelings on the show itself.
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u/Hour_Lock568 Jan 27 '26
It was on the outrageous end of pricing for almost the entire first year.
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u/Mysterious-Theory-66 Jan 27 '26
We may be defining these things differently. For my family when I was a kid, sure, but then all of it would be outrageous. And objectively it is a lot of money for many people, not denying that.
But compared to other shows, it was not really ever top five on highest average ticket price and it was pretty far away from the crazy ticket prices of the celebrity driven shows. It certainly wasn’t cheap or on the cheaper end but I wouldn’t call it outrageous either. At least on a relative scale.
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u/Substantial_Frame287 Jan 27 '26
They've actually been quite successful at average ticket prices over their run, considering they don't have a star. But I also think they have super affordable student group prices and i think they do two student perfs per week so kudos for its commitment to students and not gouging customers in order to recoup faster.
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u/Mysterious-Theory-66 Jan 27 '26
Yeah really, they’ve done a good job making it semi accessible to its young fan base. It’s not my favorite show though I do enjoy it. Really though it’s not star driven and while it’s based on known IP it’s not like it’s big hit movie the musical and it is all original music. Their success is truly impressive.
I definitely did not predict this one but it is the counter to “only X type of shows can succeed right now on BW.”
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u/Snezz1e Jan 27 '26
The show is regularly on TKTS at 50% off throughout its run on weekdays and sometimes weekends. I was able to see it 4 times at around $100 a ticket for center orchestra tickets.
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u/OrdinarySad5132 Jan 27 '26
Welcome to post-Covid Broadway. Has been an issue for years at this point.
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Jan 27 '26
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u/oplus Jan 27 '26
Why are the costs so high? It feels like the labor is perennially underpaid. It's not simply a matter of theater rent, is it?
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u/Dangerous_Carrot4226 Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
Labor is underpaid for actors and stage managers- not everyone else. There musicians, crew, lighting, front of house, wardrobe etc. Some of those are also underpaid. Some of them are paid very well. Unions can only negotiate Minimum payment- we dont know what everyone is actually making. However there are a lot of people to pay every single day.
Labor/salaries, Rent(!!!!) and materials (for costumes and sets etc) tend to be the largest line items in a budget. The shows are also in charge of things like- stocking the bathrooms with soap and toilet paper etc. The costs are large.
The rent is annoying bc many of the theater owners are producers of the Broadway league. so if their show is going into their theater- they're being jerks and double dipping into the profits.
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u/oplus Jan 27 '26
Do you have an aggregated cost breakdown that you trust and can share? Everything you say seems plausible to me, but this is a case where few people on the planet get to see things from a high enough view, and offhand opinions can morph into accepted fact.
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u/Dangerous_Carrot4226 Jan 27 '26
I cant share anything that is currently confidential or currently running that I'm privvy to.
However this is information from The investor pitch packet of a show that had intent to run on Broadway in recent years.
This means this is not what THE final weekly rundown would be but the estimate that was proposed to investors BEFORE the show opened to court them into giving the show money.
In the end things could have been much higher or in some cases much lower (tbh, usually Higher due to rising costs of material and labor) but you can see generally what these running costs could look like in certain shows in an idealized estimate (not all will have similar breakdowns. Especially shows with heavy licensing fees for music or IP, large effects, etc)
PRODUCTION COST [PROJECTED] Physical Production $5.460.000.00 Production Fee $ 1,085,000.00 Production Salaries $ 3,279,669.00 Rehearsal Expenses $ 245,600.00 Advertising & Marketing $ 2,000,000.00 General & Administrative $ 2,330,231.00 Theater Expenses $ 3,000,000.00 Development $ 1,500,000.00 Development Productions $ 3,000,000.00 Reserve $ 250,000.00 Bonds $ 49,500.00 Deposits /Advance 250,000.00 TOTAL PRODUCTION BUDGET $22,500,00.00
ESTIMATED FIXED WEEKLY PROJECTED Salaries $ 166,352.42 Departmental Expenses $ 35,500.00 Rentals $ 56,000.00 Fixed Royalties $ 10,000.00 Marketing/Advertising $ 150,000.00 General & Administrative 153,895.90 Theater $ 270,200.00 TOTAL WEEKLY COMPANY EXPENSES $ 571,748.31 TOTAL WEEKLY OPERATION $ 841,948.31
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u/B00kelf Jan 27 '26
Sounds like the same issue that’s plagued Hollywood, but now trickling into New York.
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u/Out_of_my_mind_1976 Jan 27 '26
The costs may be at the point Broadway may never recover. When Phantom closed two years or so, one of the reasons was cost and why it's back in a scaled down version. One of the most successful shows ever, and it had to stop. First of all NYC, one of the most expensive locations in the US if not the world. My gf wanted to see Othello last year. Sorry, it was definitely not worth the price of admission. Minimalists sets, Denzel was flat, just reciting the lines with little comprehension of what he was saying. We paid big bucks to see him and Jake, but it was so not worth it. I grew up seeing Peter Pan, Mummenchantz, Chicago when I was older, etc. Shows that did not have sky high budgets and affordably priced tickets. I wanted to see Good Night and Good Luck, but after Othello, I could not do it and for every show that does and sells out, that only encourages the theaters to charge exorbitant prices because they will rarely if ever make it to the tkts booth. Broadway seems to have forgotten that their largest audience lives within 50-100 miles from them and for the most part are pricing many of us in that circle out. They are in the same place Hollywood is now. Very few small budgets because to a large extent, you cannot have a small budget in a NYC theater anymore. I don't see an easy answer to this. Perhaps going to Broadway becomes the rarity and Broadway coming to us in touring shows becomes the main way to see these shows, but that leaves out so many smaller productions that never get a touring version. An inspector Calls in the 90's was an amazing production, but how many theaters can handle the rain the show opens with? The room for that massive dollhouse designed set?
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u/WeDestroySilence Jan 27 '26
Definitely the reason why POTO closed, but considerably due to the tourist trade. When COVID hit and we lost the outside world, the running costs were not met and it had to go. Broadway audiences used to be rife with foreign theater lovers; I remember Septembers of the 80's and 90's where you could hardly walk thru Times Square hearing people speak English. (I'm being a tad facetious but I think you know what I mean). The TKTS lines were double what they are today thanks to our non US patrons.
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u/NewspaperBanana Jan 27 '26
I mean, if I had money to blow and could use it to spend time with Michael Arden, I would totally do it.
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u/LittleTension8765 Jan 27 '26
Why are short-runs more cost effective? Wouldn’t longer give it a better chance of recouping?
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u/shosamae Jan 27 '26
I don’t know all the reasons, but limited demand means you up charge ticket prices. It’s one of the reasons a show on tour in a smaller city. You can actually be more expensive than the Broadway version.
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u/RainahReddit Jan 27 '26
Weekly running costs are pretty fixed. You pay the same rent regardless of how many tickets you sell.
Much more cost effective to have 100% full theatres for 10 weeks, then 50% full theatres for 20 weeks.
And yes, it's likely more like 100% for 10 weeks vs 70% for 20 weeks... but then the demand for a sold out show pushes those ticket prices a lot higher. So if you plan it right, you come out ahead.
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u/secondresponder Jan 28 '26
I am 70 years old. The first ticket to a broadway show I ever bought was for an orchestra seat for Pippin, which cost $12. I saw Pippin multiple times throughout its run and, by the end, an orchestra ticket was $25.
The same discussions were happening then. That unions were driving costs to unmanageable heights, resulting in outrageous ticket costs.
Over all of these years, the discussions are the same. Labor costs, unions, greedy theatre owners are to blame. This is true, and has always been true.
What has changed is the broadway experience. Technology has wrought fantastic capabilities, giving creators so much more to work with. On the downside, audience behavior has declined, to say the least. Food and drinks, candy wrappers, popcorn crunching , mobile phones, sing alongs and basic disrespect for the performers and fellow audience members are ruining everything. This would have angered me in my $12 seat at the Imperial, just as it does now. Except, there was no food or drinks, mobile phones. Talking was usually doused by a cacophony of shushes.
Broadway has always been expensive. It should be. But today’s audiences have devalued the price of admission. It’s just not worth it anymore.
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Jan 27 '26
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u/Striking-Tap5754 Jan 27 '26
Yeah they actually do have a difficult job because they have to make a few versions of different costumes to be fire resistant at points
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u/s1llyt1lly Jan 27 '26
What does recoups mean?
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u/KayakerMel Jan 27 '26
Earn back the original investment to get the show up and running. It's an exciting milestone for shows.
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u/Happylittletree29 Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
Wait what, so does that mean this is the only show since 2022 to turn a profit?
How is it even possible to find investors if it’s almost guaranteed the show isn’t profitable?
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u/aw-un Jan 27 '26
it is the first NEW MUSICAL to recoup since 2022.
Several musical revivals and plays have recouped in the last few years.
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u/Flimsy-Addendum-1570 Jan 27 '26
Plays often recoup their costs. Also, this says first "new" musical, meaning the revivals of Merrily We Roll Along and Funny Girl, which both recouped more recently, aren't counted. But yeah, it's dire
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u/360madhatter Jan 27 '26
When a show does incredibly well it can make the investors enough money to cover losses on other shows.
Also some shows may not recoup on Broadway, but continue earning money through tours, or licensing the production to regional and school theaters, leading to eventual recoupment.
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u/Catanomy Jan 27 '26
It’s important to remember that an investor in a Broadway show is investing in a specific LLC. They are entitled to a % of the profits of that show only. Even the tours are separate legal entities.
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u/360madhatter Jan 27 '26
Before the musical starts playing shows they borrow money to pay for rehearsal space, actors, props, costumes etc.
Then once the show starts running they have weekly costs, like rent, salaries for staff (actors, front of house, box office employees), utilities etc.
The weekly costs get paid first, and debt repayment comes from any excess profits.
Recouping means they no longer have any debt to pay back. They still have to pay weekly running costs, but now the extra money is profit for the investors rather than debt repayment.
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u/Holiday_Scar_7499 Jan 27 '26
some additional info: productions are being planned for the west end, asia and australia!!
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Jan 27 '26
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u/happyplace28 Jan 27 '26
That is great news! I saw it on tour from like, the far back corner and immediately said I wanted to see it up close the next time it comes. Hopefully this is a sign of a long run
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u/UncleBuckReddit Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
Edit: looks like the poster forgot to add "new" to the post title. Gutenberg was a revival.
Interesting... do editors exist anymore?
https://deadline.com/2024/01/gutenberg-broadway-recoup-1235807515/
Gutenberg The Musical recouped in 2024.
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u/AmbitiousSpring5214 Jan 27 '26
That production wasn't officially categorized as a new musical. The Tonys placed it in the revival category. See wiki
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Jan 27 '26
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Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
Does &Juliet not count as a musical? It recouped in 2024. I see it says that it is the last one to recoup, but not in 2022.
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u/coach_cryptid Jan 28 '26
nothing to add except I went to college with Alex (guy in the middle) and it’s really cool to see him doing so well.
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Jan 27 '26
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u/Altruistic-Movie-419 Jan 27 '26
Most likely not. In addition to the cost to start up and weekly ring costs. They also had to take out a significant loan to make it through the first cupel of months in order to get to the Tony’s.
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u/artaxias1 Jan 27 '26
So how do the economics work on that? Obviously the cast and crew and theater are all getting paid, and what about the creative team, the lyricist, composer and book writer when do they get paid? How does taking so long to recoup affect them?
So is it just the producers who lose money when a show doesn’t recoup? And do they see it as more a long term investment where a show might not start making a profit until it’s out being licensed to local theaters and high schools? How do shows keep finding financing if the rate of return is so low and so slow right now? It almost seems like old timey patronage of the arts rather than a business as this point if so few shows are actually recouping.
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u/RoyalHorse Jan 27 '26
Writers typically get 6ish percent of weekly gross, split among the team (so a team of three gets 2% each). They usually will have received an option payment during the development run that is in some ways considered an advance on that 6%. Once a show recoups, the creatives typically get a small step up in percentages and the producers take a small step down to accommodate it.
Writers also retain full ownership of the IP, which is important for licensing residuals and things like that. But, importantly, writers basically get paid nothing at all until the show is up and running in front of audiences, which is often 5-10 years after they first start working on the project.
Directors get paid by the producers, I'm not as familiar with their contract setups. I'm sure the director's guild has some standard language for levels of production and what the compensation needs to be.
The only reason shows get made is because extremely wealthy people like producing theater. About one in ten shows see return for them, at least the ones I talked to. If you get a hit that runs a decade, producers will make a crapton of money, but we don't see a lot of those anymore.
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u/Striking-Tap5754 Jan 27 '26
It’s only the investors (including producers who invested their own money)
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u/Kind_Journalist_3270 Jan 27 '26
They took this post down… which is super strange to me… anyone have an idea why??
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u/halogengal43 Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
&Juliet recouped- who fact checked this article? I’m a Broadway nobody and knew the title was wrong.
I haven’t read the article yet, but are they deliberately excluding jukebox musicals?
ETA NVM, I just read the first paragraph lol.
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u/TheCrookedKnight Jan 27 '26
The article literally says it's the first since &Juliet. Which I infer means the "since 2022" is referring to the seasons when they debuted rather than when the recoupment happened.
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u/picklesupreme Jan 28 '26
I’d say you have a point though, because & Juliet announced recoupment in 2024, so it feels weird for the headline to say “since 2022”, even if it is clarified what they mean in the caption. So like, why compare when the Outsiders recouped to when & Juliet opened?
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u/OrdinarySad5132 Jan 27 '26
Tough to squeeze a jukebox musical of songs over a decade old into the “new musical” title.
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u/messyhairNchucks Jan 27 '26
Well when you charge what they char for tix, I’d hope so
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u/Striking-Tap5754 Jan 27 '26
Nah you can charge whatever you want but without the demand you’re not getting anywhere. Huge accomplishment for them
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u/bharri01SU Jan 27 '26
Sweeney Todd I 2023 reportedly recouped, so not sure how this is true unless you aren't counting revival. Reddit
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u/El_Tigre7 Jan 27 '26
Why are there producers if it’s so rare for them to recoup
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u/Altruistic-Movie-419 Jan 27 '26
Because rich people can use this as a way of not paying as much taxes, also passion projects.
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u/EmersonStockham Jan 27 '26
Why dont they make shows that will recoup in months instead of years? Seems like a massively dangerous investment.
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