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Back to listNews

London theatre tops half a billion pound mark in record year!

For the first time ever, box office receipts to London theatre topped the half a billion pound mark in 2009 as record numbers of theatregoers attended plays, musicals, opera and dance in the capital.

The Society of London Theatre announced today that total box office revenues for 2009 were £504,765,690, up +7.6% on a like-for-like basis on the previous year.

Fuelling this were record attendances which passed the 14 million mark for the first time. The new record total of 14,257,922 is up + 5.5% on the same period in 2008.

2009 was the seventh consecutive year in a row that new attendance and revenue records have been set, but the size of the increases, achieved against a backdrop of economic recession, represent a stunning performance by the sector. The taxman will have welcomed VAT receipts of more than £75 million, whilst the additional spend by theatregoers on things such as transport, restaurants and hotels will have provided vital stimulus for the London economy.

Plays in particular had a spectacular year with total attendances of 3,637,714 being + 26% up on 2008, whilst Opera, Dance and Entertainments were up +7%. Musicals were -2% down for the year, though this was primarily due to the early months of 2009 – by the final quarter, attendances were +4% up and many shows announced record figures.

Welcoming the results, Nica Burns, President of the Society of London Theatre said: “Britain’s artistic community continues to create exceptional work.  The extraordinary quality and breadth of productions available nightly in London explains these record figures in such a difficult year economically.   Whilst our musicals continue to flourish, 2009 was an outstanding year for plays – proving that audiences respond to challenge and stimulation as well as toe-tapping entertainment.  Excellence is everything – look no further than London’s theatre which adds a great deal more to London’s revenue than just the ticket sales.”

Date: 27/1/2010