Met Opera in New York sold 72% of tickets this season, highest since pandemic

The Metropolitan Opera sold 72% of its available tickets this season, up from 66% last year and 61% after the pandemic. Despite improvements, the box office is still below the 75% from 2018-19. Factoring in discounts, the Met earned 64% of its potential box-office revenue, up from 57% last season. Single-ticket buyers averaged 44 years old, while subscribers averaged 70.

The Met withdrew $40 million from its endowment, now at $255 million, and hired Boston Consulting Group for cost reduction and fundraising strategies. A revival of Julie Taymor’s "The Magic Flute" sold 87% of tickets, followed by "Turandot" (82%) and a new "Carmen" (81%). Other notable productions included "X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X" (78%) and "Madama Butterfly" (75%).

New productions had mixed results, with "La Forza del Destino" at 71% and "El Niño" at 58%. The Met had 84,934 new ticket buyers, with 25% attending contemporary operas.