What Is the Highest Paid Broadway Show?
Dec, 22 2025
When people ask what the highest paid Broadway show is, they’re usually thinking about one thing: money. Not just ticket sales, but the actual cash flowing through the theater - from box office receipts to profit splits, royalties, and star salaries. The answer isn’t just about popularity. It’s about scale, longevity, and how tightly the show’s business model is engineered. And right now, that title belongs to Hamilton.
Hamilton’s Record-Breaking Earnings
Since its Broadway debut in August 2015, Hamilton has consistently pulled in more than $1.5 million in weekly grosses, often hitting $1.9 million or higher. In 2023, it broke its own record with a single-week gross of $2.8 million, the highest in Broadway history at the time. That’s not a fluke. It’s the result of a perfect storm: unprecedented demand, premium pricing, and a fan base willing to pay top dollar.
Hamilton’s ticket prices aren’t just high - they’re strategic. The cheapest seats start around $150, but premium tickets for prime seats regularly sell for $800 to $1,200. Scalpers and resale platforms like TodayTix and SeatGeek often list tickets above $2,000. The show’s producers don’t just sell tickets; they sell an experience that feels like a once-in-a-lifetime event. And because the show has a fixed run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, they can control supply to keep demand sky-high.
How It Compares to Other Top Shows
Other long-running hits like The Lion King and Wicked have earned billions over decades, but they don’t match Hamilton’s weekly revenue. The Lion King has grossed over $1.6 billion since 1997 - the highest total of all time - but its weekly gross usually hovers around $1.1 million. Wicked is close, often hitting $1.4 million, but it’s never cracked the $2 million mark in a single week.
Why the difference? The Lion King and Wicked are family-friendly, with broad appeal, but they’re also older shows with more consistent, steady audiences. Hamilton, on the other hand, exploded into cultural relevance. It’s not just a musical - it’s a movement. It’s studied in schools, sampled in hip-hop playlists, and dissected on TikTok. That cultural momentum keeps ticket demand off the charts.
Where the Money Goes
High grosses don’t mean high profits. The show’s costs are massive. A single performance of Hamilton can cost over $150,000 to stage - that includes salaries for 50+ cast and crew, union fees, set maintenance, costume cleaning, marketing, and theater rent. The theater itself, the Richard Rodgers, charges a percentage of gross revenue, not a flat fee, so the show pays the venue a cut of every ticket sold.
Then there’s the royalty structure. Lin-Manuel Miranda and his team hold the rights, and the show pays a percentage of gross revenue to the licensing entity. Still, after all that, Hamilton’s investors reportedly saw a return of over 300% within three years. That’s unheard of in theater.
Star salaries also play a role. Lead actors like the original Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, earned over $100,000 a week during peak demand. Even today, principal cast members make between $50,000 and $75,000 weekly - far above the Broadway minimum of $2,300. That’s not just because they’re famous. It’s because the show’s revenue allows it.
Why Other Shows Can’t Catch Up
Some shows come close. Dear Evan Hansen had a massive opening and sold out for months. Hadestown won Tonys and drew critical acclaim. But neither had the cultural explosion Hamilton did. You can’t manufacture viral momentum. Hamilton landed at the right time - when social media was exploding, when diversity in casting became a national conversation, and when a young, hip-hop-infused retelling of American history felt revolutionary.
Also, Hamilton’s run is limited. It doesn’t tour constantly. It doesn’t have a second Broadway house. That scarcity makes every ticket feel rare. Other shows spread themselves thin with national tours, international runs, and off-Broadway versions. Hamilton keeps its focus tight. That’s why it keeps pulling in the highest weekly grosses.
What This Means for Broadway
Hamilton changed the game. Before it, shows like The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables were the financial giants. They ran for decades, but their weekly earnings rarely broke $1 million. Hamilton proved that a new musical, even one with a non-traditional score and diverse cast, could outearn them all in a fraction of the time.
Producers now look at Hamilton’s model when greenlighting new shows: Can this be a cultural moment? Can we price tickets strategically? Can we control demand? Can we make people feel like they’re part of something bigger than entertainment?
It’s also changed actor expectations. Cast members now know that if a show hits Hamilton-level revenue, they can negotiate higher pay. Equity contracts are evolving. Payroll budgets are being rewritten. Hamilton didn’t just break box office records - it reset the entire economic framework of Broadway.
Will Anything Ever Top It?
There are contenders. Kimberly Akimbo won the Tony for Best Musical in 2023 and has strong word-of-mouth. The Outsiders is drawing young audiences with its rock score and gritty story. But none have the same combination of cultural saturation, ticket scarcity, and pricing power.
For now, Hamilton remains the undisputed top earner. Even in 2025, it’s still playing to sold-out crowds. It’s still commanding prices that would make most Broadway shows blush. And it’s still the only show on Broadway that can consistently pull in nearly $3 million in a single week.
If you want to see what the highest paid Broadway show looks like, you’re not just watching a musical. You’re watching a financial phenomenon - one that turned a hip-hop retelling of Alexander Hamilton’s life into the most profitable stage production in history.
Is Hamilton still the highest paid Broadway show in 2025?
Yes, as of 2025, Hamilton remains the highest-grossing Broadway show on a weekly basis. It consistently pulls in over $1.8 million per week, with peak weeks exceeding $2.8 million - the highest single-week gross ever recorded on Broadway. No other show has matched its revenue levels since its debut.
How much does Hamilton make per show?
Hamilton makes an average of $1.9 million per week across eight performances, which breaks down to roughly $237,500 per show. In peak weeks, it can earn over $350,000 per performance, thanks to premium ticket pricing and sold-out crowds.
What’s the most expensive Hamilton ticket?
The most expensive Hamilton tickets can reach $2,000 or more on resale platforms like StubHub or Vivid Seats. Premium seats directly from the box office are priced at $1,200, but those are rare and sell out within minutes. The show’s official lottery still offers $10 tickets, but demand for those is so high that over 100,000 people enter each day.
Why are Hamilton tickets so expensive?
Hamilton tickets are expensive because demand far outstrips supply. The show plays in one theater with only 1,200 seats, and it sells out weeks in advance. Producers use dynamic pricing, raising prices as demand increases. Plus, the show’s cultural status turns tickets into collectibles - many buyers aren’t just looking to see the show, they’re looking to own a piece of theater history.
Do actors in Hamilton get paid more than other Broadway shows?
Yes. Principal cast members in Hamilton earn between $50,000 and $75,000 per week, which is far above the Broadway minimum of $2,300. This is possible because Hamilton’s revenue is so high that it can afford to pay top dollar. In comparison, most Broadway leads earn between $3,000 and $6,000 weekly, even in hit shows.