Broadway shows enjoy ticket sales bump

Tickets sales for nearly all Broadway productions in New York are up since the Fourth of July holiday, figures show.

Variety reported Friday box office sales for the Broadway production of The Lion King increased by $135,000 for the week of July 6-12, compared with a downturn during the Fourth of July.

Meanwhile, The Little Mermaid enjoyed a 15 percent bump in box office sales and Hair rebounded from a slow week to top the $1 million mark in overall ticket sales.

The addition of Dancing With the Stars co-host Samantha Harris to the Broadway production of Chicago appeared beneficial as the musical enjoyed an uptick in attendance.

Similar sales increases were enjoyed by Rock of Ages, Next to Normal and Shrek the Musical.

Variety said the 18 Broadway musicals enjoyed an attendance of 92.9 percent capacity, while the New York theater district’s six plays performed to just 81.3 percent capacity.