London Theatre good box office performance in 2010

The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced today that London theatre bucked the trend of economic gloom with excellent box office performance in 2010.

For the seventh year running, total Box Office Revenues posted a new record level at £512,331,808, up 1.46% on a like-for-like basis on 2009 and topping £500 million for the second time ever.

Attendances totaled 14,152,230, 0.79% down on 2009 levels, topping the 14 million mark for only the second time. Like other industries, London theatre was inevitably hit by the poor weather towards the end of the year.

London theatre ticket sales generated VAT receipts for the Treasury of £76,304,737. The year also saw a record number of performances (18,615), and continued success for Plays which saw audiences grow by 2%.

Commenting on the figures, Nica Burns, President of the Society of London Theatre said:
“Another great year for London theatre. Despite economic woes, volcanic ash, and huge transport disruption notably during our busiest time of the year at Christmas, we have managed our seventh successive year of growth at the box office. A huge range of superb productions ensured that a visit to the theatre was a must-do for large numbers of the public. London theatre is something for everyone to be proud of and is a great ambassador for UK plc.”

2010 attendances and revenue by genre
(with percentage comparisons to 2009)

Musicals
Attendances 8,423,430 (-3%) Revenue £324,357,255 (-1%)

Plays
Attendances 3,702,031 (+2%) Revenue £107,099,335 (+10%)

Other (Opera, Dance, Performance pieces, Entertainments)
Attendances 2,026,769 (+3%) Revenue £80,875,218 (+3%)

The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is the trade association which represents the producers, theatre owners and managers of the 52 major commercial and grant-aided theatres in central London.

Originally published on

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