Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas Leads 2023 US Box Office Take

Posted on: December 13, 2023, 10:58h. 

Last updated on: December 16, 2023, 11:18h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Myths.

The main showroom inside Resorts World has been named the world’s highest-grossing venue under 5K capacity on Billboard magazine’s annual “Boxscore” list of top-grossing venues. It’s Resorts World Theatre’s second straight year making the list, which highlights the top-grossing venues in four size categories.

Katy Perry
Katy Perry performs her “Play” residency at Resorts World Las Vegas, which helped the casino resort’s theater lead a list of top-grossing small concert venues in 2023. (Image: Getty)

Resorts World Theatre’s win is based on data reported from the 90 shows it hosted from Nov. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023, from which the venue grossed $45.3 million from 319K fans, an average of $142 per ticket.

The venue’s drawing power owed to superstar music residencies from Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan. Multiple dates with illusionist David Blaine, as well as comedians Kevin Hart and Tiny Fey with Amy Poehler, didn’t hurt either.

Dividing 319K fans by 90 shows also reveals an average of 3,544 seats (70.9%) filled per night.

Sold Out Venue

Resorts World Theatre’s 2023 gross bested the Fox Theater in Atlanta, the Beacon Theatre in New York, and the Durham Performing Arts Center in North Carolina.

This accolade and the venue’s continued success is a testament to the incredible talents who have made this stage their home with sold-out, headlining residencies throughout the year, our staff and Resorts World Las Vegas partners, and to the hundreds of thousands of fans who have joined us for these only-in-Las-Vegas performances,” said Bobby Reynolds, senior vice president, AEG Presents Las Vegas, in a press release.

Resorts World Theatre, booked exclusively by Concerts West and AEG Presents, first opened on Dec. 1, 2021, with the sold-out premiere of Carrie Underwood’s “REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency.”

Adele
Adele can probably think of another venue that should have been on this list but wasn’t. (Image: Mega)

Great Caesars Ghosted

Conspicuously absent from the under-5,000-capacity list are the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, home to “Weekends with Adele” and “Garth Brooks/Plus One,” both of which reportedly sold out every ticket for every 2023 performance.

Also absent is the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood, which in 2023 hosted top-selling residencies from Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert, and Keith Urban.

They’re both Caesars Entertainment properties booked in partnership with Live Nation.

In a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a Billboard rep explained that the Boxscore ratings are based on figures reported voluntarily to the publication by venue execs, artist managers, and agents. This suggests that neither Caesars nor Live Nation reported the numbers.

Elsewhere on the List

Also making the grade was Dolby Live at Park MGM, which ranked No. 2 among reporting 5,001-10,000 capacity venues. The 5,600-capacity theater grossed $115.3M from 474K attending 96 dates. The Wynn’s Encore Theater came in ninth, grossing $18M from 141K attending 105 shows.

In the top stadium category, Allegiant Stadium placed fourth with $119.3M grossed from 725K attending 17 shows, while T-Mobile Arena placed fourth in the 15K-plus category, and the MGM Grand Garden placed eighth in the 10,001-15K category.