‘Once’ sees stronger box-office sales after Tony nominations

The announcement of the Tony Award nominations last Tuesday gave a box-office boost to “Once,” the new musical whose 11 nominations make it the early Tony frontrunner this year.

“Once,” which is playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York, saw its box-office gross for the week ending May 6 rise to $707,302 from $609,412 in the previous week, according to data provided by the Broadway League. The musical’s attendance rose more than 9% from the previous week to reach 93% capacity. The production is based on the 2006 indie film of the same name.

On Monday, the producers of “Once” announced that the musical will launch a national tour in 2013. Cities and dates have not yet been released.

“Nice Work If You Can Get It,” starring Matthew Broderick, also experienced a jump in box-office revenue following its 10 Tony nominations. The new musical, which uses music by George and Ira Gershwin, saw its biggest weekly gross of a little more than $1 million.

Other Tony-nominated productions didn’t fare as well at the box office. “Peter and the Starcatcher,” which received nine nominations, including one for best play, saw attendance rise modestly by 4.5%, but overall box-office revenue fell, usually a sign of discounted ticket prices.

“Peter” is a prequel of sorts to “Peter Pan”and is based on the book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Like “Once,” the production had its origins off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop, in the East Village.

“The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” saw its box-office sales and attendance fall despite receiving 10 nominations.

RELATED:

Theater review: ‘Once’ on Broadway

Theater review: ‘Death of a Salesman’ on Broadway

Tony Awards 2012: ‘Once,’ ‘Porgy and Bess’ among top nominees