Broadway B.O. slips 3% for week

'The Lion King'Broadway did a backslide after last week's gains, with overall box office lowering by 3% and attendance falling 4% in week 29. People declines were softened somewhat by lately previewing shows "Porgy and Bess" ($292,703, attendance 2,564 for just two performances) and "The road to Mecca" ($80,118, attendance 2,268 in five perfs). Remove people ducats and butts as well as the Primary Stem was off greater than 4% if this involves dollars and nearly 6% of attendance. B.O. dropoff was especially severe at "Sister Act" ($601,705, off 23%) as well as the flagging one-act collection "Relatively Speaking" ($345,133, a tiny bit of almost $400,000 in the peak in Week 23). What is the news wasn't all bad round the Rialto, though. "The Lion King" needed the overall crown for your third consecutive week getting a haul of $1,833,881, up 2% against the other day. Audiences also clustered to "Billy Elliot" ($817,957, up 2%) just before its closing on Jan. 8, and "How you can achieve Business Without Really Trying" ($1,100,832, a 6% increase) to find out star Daniel Radcliffe before his approaching departure. Plays were also hit less hard than musicals, with "Other Desert Urban centersInch ($551,176) ongoing to command a per-ticket cost above $100 and "War Equine" ($988,373) galloping along at 100% attendance greater than eight several days after opening. The prognosis is less rosy for fighting David Henry Hwang play "Chinglish" and basically-opened up up basketball-Greek comedy-musical "Lysistrata Manley." "Chinglish" carried out to 35% of capacity within the Longacre, while "Manley" offered tickets for $25.14 normally, or $2 under its least expensive promoted cost. Even taking opening-evening comps into account, that's terrible news for your newcomer. However poor what is the news now, legiters should look for Broadway to recuperate nicely through the ultimate days of year as travelers swarm to Midtown Manhattan. Indeed, recently opened up up Harry Connick, Junior. starrer "Around the Apparent Day You Will See Forever" ($744,076) and "A Evening Time With Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin" ($480,422) both elevated their box office with the help of an eighth performance for his or her weekly agendas to capture the winter season crowds. Overall Broadway cume totalled to $24.3 million, up nearly $400,000 against a year ago, when three more shows were playing. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com