The $75 million stage production will end its historical run in New York early next year after declining ticket sales during performances in the past few months.
- November 19, 2013
AceShowbiz -
"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" will makes its final performance on Broadway in January 2014, after running for more than two years. Once the lights are turned off in New York, the high-profile rock musical will next be swinging to Las Vegas.
"We are excited to report that the next destination for 'Spider-Man' will be the entertainment capital of the world: Las Vegas," Rick Miramontez, a spokesman for the show, said Monday, November 18. "Further details will be announced in the weeks to come."
Featuring music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge, the show tells the story of the origin of the character, his romance with Mary Jane, and his battles with the evil Green Goblin. Made on a hefty budget of $75M, it became the most expensive stage production in history.
The musical held 182 preview performances, the longest in history, starting November 2010 before officially opening in June 2011. Featuring highly technical stunts, such as aerial combat scenes and actors swinging from "webs," it was rocked with cast injuries and backstage feud.
Despite the issues, the show was once a favorite among audience. It raked in roughly $1.5 million a week and once posted the highest single-week gross of any Broadway show in history with nearly $3 million. But its popularity has waned as it grossed only $742,595 last week with only three-quarters of seats filled at the Foxwoods Theater.
"The show is, I would say, middling," producer Jeremiah J. Harris admitted. "We could run for probably another three to five years being stuck in the middle. We think it will play Las Vegas with a greater bang than it did in New York."
New Australian musical "King Kong" is rumored to take the vacant place at the Foxwood Theater after "Spider-Man" packed its bags.
The stage adaptation of Marvel's famous wallcrawler has pulled in a reported $203 million.
