Ragtime Closes With a Record: $1.96 Million in Its Final Week on Broadway
Broadway's Ragtime went out on top. The Lincoln Center Theater revival grossed $1,963,666 for its final eight performances in the week ending August 16, 2026 — the highest weekly gross for any production in the institution's history, according to figures reported by Deadline and sourced from the Broadway League.
The show played to full houses in its closing week. Only Hamilton, also a sellout, grossed more on Broadway that week, taking in $2,123,135. Both productions filled every seat they had to sell Deadline.
Ragtime is a musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's novel, following three fictional families chasing the American Dream at the turn of the 20th century. The score is by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, with a book by Terrence McNally — all three won Tony Awards for the original 1998 production. This revival, staged at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, was directed by Lear deBessonet, Lincoln Center Theater's artistic director, and presented in association with producers Tom Kirdahy, Kevin Ryan, Robert Greenblatt, and Lamar Richardson.
The revival began performances in September 2025 and was originally scheduled to close January 4, 2026. It extended twice — first to June 14, then through August 2, with a final block of tickets released in March. It played its last performance August 16.
The closing-night cast included Tony Award winners Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, and Brandon Uranowitz, along with Nicholas Barrón, Ben Davis, Nichelle Lewis, Julie Benko, John Clay III, Rodd Cyrus, Marina Kondo, Jackson Parker Gill, Aerina DeBoer, and Tabitha Lawing Deadline.
Ragtime won four 2026 Tony Awards at the 79th Annual ceremony on June 7, including Best Musical Revival and Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role in a Musical. It tied with The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! as the most Tony-winning musicals of the 2025-2026 season Playbill.
The rest of the street had a tougher week. Twenty-seven shows grossed a combined $27,003,040 — down 20% from the previous week and about 9% below the same week last season. Attendance fell to 226,229, a 12% week-over-week drop and 8% year over year. Season-to-date, Broadway has grossed $412,444,622 across 12 weeks, down roughly 5% from last year, with total attendance of 3,347,484.
Among other shows, The Rocky Horror Show grossed $829,118 and Buena Vista Social Club took in $701,983. A new arrival, Paranormal Activity — an Olivier-nominated British thriller written by Levi Holloway (Grey House) and directed by Felix Barrett (Sleep No More) — played its first four previews at the August Wilson Theatre to 100% capacity, grossing $422,257. It officially opens August 25, 2026, for a limited 20-week run.
The mid-August slide is typical for Broadway. Tourist traffic thins after the summer peak, and the calendar doesn't offer a holiday week to fill the gap. Ragtime's record stands against that backdrop — a show selling out at its highest average ticket price, reportedly $224 per patron, in its last week on the boards Playbill.
For a revival that nearly closed in January, the exit is the strongest argument the producers had. The trucks were already waiting. The show filled the house to the last.
