“Finding Neverland,” the new musical about the man who created “Peter Pan,” brought in more than $1 million in its first week at the Broadway box office, an encouraging sign for a show whose flight path to New York has been turbulent.
The musical, produced by Harvey Weinstein and based on the 2004 film of the same name, played seven performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater, earning $1,004,171, with an average ticket price of $96, according to a Broadway League report.
Scheduled to open on Broadway April 15, “Finding Neverland” had earlier runs in Leicester, England, and at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass. After the British run Mr. Weinstein replaced key members of the creative team; Diane Paulus, a Tony Award winner for “Pippin,” is now the director, James Graham the book writer, and Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy the composers.
With 14 shows still to open this Broadway season, the competition for box-office dollars is only getting tougher. But the tally from early previews gave other producers reasons for optimism as well: The Lincoln Center Theater revival of “The King and I” grossed $814,492 for eight shows, while the stage adaptation of the classic film “An American in Paris” brought in $737,241 in its first six performances.