A Record Year of Sales for the West End

SOLT Reveals the Year of Sales for 2011, with Positive Results

Those that might have been concerned about London theatre attendance during this summer’s London Olympics will at least be able to look at 2011 with a smile as the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) reveals the Box Office figures for the previous year. For the 8th year in a row, Box Office revenues have hit a new record, with 2011 seeing figures of £528 million. Not only is this their highest result (on a like-for-like basis) their press release also points out that this is the third time that overall theatre tickets have surpassed £500 million.

Their report cites a range of blockbuster musicals responsible for the increase, with obvious candidates like “The Wizard of Oz”, “Rock of Ages” and “Shrek the Musical” generating large amounts in revenue. They have also pointed to the great performances of some of the capital’s plays, citing the likes of “Frankenstein”, which saw the return of Danny Boyle to the theatre, “One Man, Two Guvnors”, and the continued success story that is “War Horse”, the film version of which has been nominated at the 2012 Academy Awards. The return of “Jerusalem” has also been heralded as a success.

“We are extremely proud that our theatres have yet again gone on to achieve another record-breaking year of sales, with many shows announcing record-breaking runs of their own” said Mark Rubinstein, SOLT’s President. “Despite the prevailing rigours of the economic climate, theatre-goers have acted with their feet and wallets and shown just how much they value a trip to one of our world-class shows. We can confirm buoyant Box Office advances for 2012, a year in which we look forward to welcoming millions more national and international visitors through our theatre doors.”

Though box office figures – on a like-for-like basis – are up, attendance is slightly down, but the report points out that this is nothing to worry about as this was due to the large numbers of new shows opening, which meant that theatres were empty more often between productions than they were in 2010.

This year those in the London theatre district are expecting the West End to be hit negatively by the London Olympics in the summer, which will see tourists arriving in town to witness sports instead of theatre. It might also put off regular theatregoers from visiting the capital during this period. Time will tell if this will come to pass, however, and steps are being taken to try and encourage visitors to head to the capital’s theatres.