Biggest broadway flop

[Gmerchant123]

I heard one show like in 2000 ran one show....any other cray cray shows like that?doing a report for theatre!

[castlestreet]

Read Not Since Carrie- all the info you need

[dramamama611]

"Biggest" would be more about the amount of money lost, not so much how many performances it ran for.

Yes, there are a number of shows that have closed in a very brief amount of time. But since you didn't tell us like which one you heard of like that did what you like said, we wouldn't know what to add. Like.'


More shows close at a loss than at a profit. FLOP is defined strictly by whether or not a show was able to pay back its investors -- as that is the only barometer you can verify.

[Quiche2]

I know Pirate Queen ran for about a month, but I'm sure that there are shows that have ran for even less than that. I believe that I heard of a show back in the 80's that closed the day after opening. Forget the name, though.

[Broadway Bob*]

The most recent example of SHORT runs would be GLORY DAYS which pulled a Bialystock... Opening Night was also Closing Night!!!

[loliveve]

The biggest flop I can think of is "Breakfast at Tiffany's" because it only had 4 previews and never made it to opening night. Since you're doing a report, I agree that Not Since Carrie would probably be beneficial.

[bobs3]

METRO. An musical import from Poland (where it was a huge hit). It took place on a huge subway platform built on the stage of the Minskoff Theater 1992. It used lots of lasers which was a very new concept for theater at the time. The show was translated into English. It reportedly cost $13 million (not sure if it was a record but it was extremely expensive for the time) and was financed by wealthy Polish-Americans including Barbara Piasecka Johnson (the widow of John Seward Johnson of Johnson & Johnson family). The musical received scathing reviews and closed after 13 performances.

[Scarywarhol]

By reputation, as far as iconic flops go, I think it will always be Carrie. Thanks a lot to its sheer weirdness and Not Since Carrie.

In financial terms, it has certainly been surpassed--often by shows that have had ostensibly decent runs. The flops that aren't. Even if Spider-Man runs for another year from now and closes, won't it probably still have lost the most money?

[Mr Roxy]

In terms of shows that had great promise & flopped badly some examples are

Mata Hari
Breakfast AT Tiffanys
Nick & Nora

Big financial ones (in terms of their dollars at the time)

Via Galactica
Dude
Dance Of The Vampires

[ggersten]

One show wonders that at least had an official opening:
Home Sweet Homer
Oldest Living Confederate Widow
the aforementioned Glory Days

[Mr Roxy]

Home Sweet Homer had a lot going for it

Yul Brynner
Joan Deiner
Man Of La Mancha Composer Mitch Leigh

I saw it & have a signed Playbill from it but I remember absolutely nothing about it.

[Phantom of London]

Rebecca

[Famebroadway2]

Dance of the Vampires holds the title for most money lost.

Until Spiderman closes...

[Gothampc]

Bobbi Boland starring Farrah Fawcett - 7 previews, never opened

Biggest flop that had potential if ego hadn't gotten in the way: Taboo

[RENT_is_Wicked2]

The biggest one I know of is "Carrie". It lasted like 5 performances I think, the the Off-Broadway revival lasted longer... by a few months.

[exedore]

I think Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an overall costlier flop than Dance of the Vampire, but worldwide it's done fine given its stellar BO's in the UK. Hot Feet is up there as well.

Spider-Man will almost certainly close on Broadway at a loss, though it's slowly earning against investment. If they take it out as an arena show, they'll earn it all back easily.

[hushpuppy]

Don't forget ONE NIGHT STAND, music by Jule Styne, book and lyrics by Herb Gardner, starring Jack Weston and Charles Kimbrough. Closed after 8 previews in October 1980. It was the first show I ever saw on Broadway, 32 years ago this week. I loved it. I guess nobody else did.

[SNAFU]

Frankenstein was expensive in it's day and closed opening night.

[Mr Roxy]

Saw Frankenstein & I really liked it.

[EricMontreal22]

No mention of Moose Murders? That closed opening night as well.

[Nickhutson]

Big
Tarzan
Ragtime revival
Leap of faith

[jbm2]

Little Johnny Jones starring Donny Osmond

29 previews- 1 performance.

[tazber]

The 80s had some awful years.

Mail
A Change in the Heir
(the aforementioned) Metro
Honky Tonk Nights
Chess
Roza
Prince of Central Park
Legs Diamond (massive financial loss there)
Doonesbury
and of course....Carrie

[strummergirl]

The Suzanne Somers one-woman show The Blonde and the Thunderbird did not make it to its first week.

[best12bars]

At the time I saw "Into the Light," which was pre-Carrie by a year or so, it was the biggest financial flop. One of the most expensive Broadway shows ever produced to that date, and it closed after six performances.

[tazber]

Here's a link to the Smithsonian.com's list of the 10 biggest Bway flops.

It's chronologically organized.

Pipe Dream
Kelly
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Via Galactica
Rocky Horror Show
Bring Back Birdie
Into the Light
Carrie
The Civil War
Taboo
Link