Broadway Shows Lost Investors' Money

In 2016, four out of five Broadway productions failed to return their investors' money, a failure rate that had remained unchanged for years. Broadway sold 13 million tickets during the 2014-2015 season, but production expenses climbed alongside revenue. Plays cost between $2.5 million and $4 million to stage, while musicals cost between $6 million and $16 million because of larger casts, orchestras, and elaborate scenery. Most failures closed quietly, while the $75 million Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark became Broadway's biggest money-loser and shut down in early 2014.

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