London Theatre audiences exceed pre-COVID levels

The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) has revealed West End ticket sales data for 2022 – the first since 2019 because of the pandemic.

West End theatre attendances were 16.4m in 2022, more than 7 per cent higher than the 15.3m recorded in 2019.

With theatres experiencing rising costs including energy bills, SOLT is reporting that average nominal ticket prices have risen by £2.21 since 2019, with the average price actually falling in real terms when adjusted for inflation from £52.17 in 2019 to £48.11 in 2022.

The re-opening of venues closed for restoration and refurbishment in 2019 plus fewer ‘dark’ weeks in venues, contributed to a 7.9 per cent increase in total capacity (available seats) compared to 2019; and the number of overall individual performances increased by 4.7 per cent. A combination of these factors contributes to the 2022 increase in attendance.

This increased attendance has seen nominal revenue increase by 11.6 per cent to about £892m in 2022. However, adjusted for inflation since 2019, real revenue has fallen by 1.1 per cent.

More on the theatre data.

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