Latest in King Kong

EXCLUSIVE: An iconic monster is headed to Disney+. Disney Branded Television is in very early development on King Kong (working title), a series for Disney+ tracking the original story of the famous ape. Deals have just closed for the project, from James Wan’s Atomic Monster, which would mark the first live-action…

EXCLUSIVE: Just as Hollywood studios did a generation ago, Broadway producers are now actively investigating the potential of China as a newly maturing marketplace with vast revenue potential. One company in the vanguard of this effort is Harmonia, a five-year-old specialist in connecting Chinese audiences with…

Two of Broadway’s more imposing figures are calling it quits: King Kong and The Cher Show have posted closing notices, the latest exits in the annual post-Tony culling. Each production will play its final performance on Sunday, Aug. 18. Though Cher star Stephanie J. Block and costume designer Bob Mackie won Tony…

The late Marin Mazzie, who starred in Broadway’s Passion, Ragtime and the 2000 revival of Kiss Me, Kate, among many stage productions, will receive a Special Tony Award this year, the Tony administration committee announced today. Mazzie, who died of ovarian cancer last September, was one of three Special Tony Award…

Broadway had a slight rebound last week, warming up a tad from the previous week’s chilly winter numbers. In all, the 27 productions combined averaged a small 4% uptick, grossing $27,661,258 for Broadway’s Week 37 (ending Feb. 10). Attendance was up about 5% to 249,720, a solid 93% of capacity. Average ticket price of…

When Broadway’s King Kong opened earlier this month, critics did their best to one-up Beauty on how to kill a Beast. Big, hairy gloom might have settled over the cast following the show’s Nov. 8 opening, particularly after the publication of a New York Times pan that was unorthodox, if not downright bizarre. In place…

Bryan Cranston arrived on Broadway to two full houses last week, as the much-anticipated Network played a couple previews at the Belasco Theater and contributed $293,220 to Broadway’s $37,230,401 total for Week 24 (ending Nov. 11). Overall box office for the 38 Broadway productions reflected a 13% jump in receipts…

UPDATE, with video Eighth wonder of the world? King Kong probably isn’t even the eighth wonder of Broadway – those kids in The Ferryman aren’t giving up their spots anytime soon – but the big ape does provide some roaring good thrills. Picking over Hollywood’s Depression Era beauty-and-the-beast tale for what still…

Two new productions – Mike Birbiglia’s The New One and musical The Prom – joined the Broadway roster but couldn’t keep overall box office from slipping: Grosses for Broadway’s Week 22 (ending Oct. 28) were down about 4% to $33,133,984. Attendance of 272,782 was about even – actually, a slight 1% increase from the…

Broadway’s mighty King Kong is taking Halloween afternoon off. Producers announced today that the October 31 matinee has been canceled to allow for “final adjustments” prior to the November 8 opening. The opening night and the press dates beginning this weekend are unchanged and will not be impacted by the canceled…

Broadway box office continued apace as fall settled on the theater district, with a raft of recent arrivals helping to push grosses up a slight 3% over last week to $34,344,693. Attendance for Broadway’s Week 21 (ending Oct. 21) was up from the previous week by the same percentage to 269,065, a strong 90% of…

Broadway box office held steady as the fall season settled in, with a batch of recently arriving productions joined by Torch Song, last year’s Off Broadway hit taking up a limited engagement at Broadway’s Hayes Theatre. In all, the 33 shows took in $33,387,818 during Week 20 (ending Oct. 14), dead even with the…