"Maybe Happy Ending"... Maybe in the Arms of the Tony Awards

Broadway Weekly Box Office Surpasses $1 Million for Two Consecutive Weeks
Most-Nominated Musical at the Tony Awards
Strong Local Response Raises Hopes for Wins

The weekly box office revenue for the Korean original musical "Maybe Happy Ending" on Broadway has surpassed $1 million (approximately 1.376 billion won) for two consecutive weeks. The musical's popularity has gained further momentum after it was announced as the most-nominated show in the musical category for the upcoming Tony Awards ceremony, which will be held on June 8 (local time).

According to Playbill, a Broadway performance news website, "Maybe Happy Ending" recorded weekly ticket sales of $1,004,624 as of May 18, with the results announced on May 20. For the previous week, as of May 11, sales stood at $1,000,926. This marks the first time since its Broadway opening that the musical has surpassed $1 million in weekly revenue for two consecutive weeks. Previously, the only week it exceeded $1 million was the final week of December last year, benefiting from the holiday season.

"Maybe Happy Ending" began preview performances at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway on October 16, 2024, with its official opening following about a month later on November 12. Immediately after the official opening, weekly revenue at the end of November was in the $500,000 range, but as word of mouth spread, the musical has consistently maintained stable weekly sales in the $800,000 to $900,000 range this year.

Since the announcement of the 78th Tony Awards nominees on May 1, the number of audience members has increased significantly. "Maybe Happy Ending" is the most-nominated musical this year, having earned nominations in a total of 10 categories: Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Book, Best Leading Actor, Best Score (music and lyrics), Best Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, and Best Sound Design.

Following the nominations announcement, the show has seen a string of sold-out performances. In the past two weeks, seat occupancy rates reached 99.46% and 101%, respectively. Lee Hyunjung, PR team leader at NHN Link, which holds the domestic rights, explained, "After the show sells out, standing room tickets that allow viewing from the aisles are sometimes sold. This is why seat occupancy can exceed 100% in some cases."

The 78th Tony Awards ceremony will take place at 8:00 p.m. on June 8, 2025, at Radio City Music Hall in New York, United States. Expectations for the musical's chances of winning are rising.

"Maybe Happy Ending" won four awards at the 75th Outer Critics Circle Awards, announced on May 12: Outstanding New Broadway Musical, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Score, and Outstanding Book. On May 1, it also received the award for Best Musical from the New York Drama Critics' Circle.

Musical critic Choi Seungyeon commented, "The response on Broadway has been extremely positive, so I expect the musical to win in three to five categories. In addition to Best Musical, Best Direction, and Best Book, there are strong possibilities for Best Score and Best Leading Actor as well."

The New York Times (NYT), on May 16, released its predictions for winners in 17 out of 26 Tony Award categories, forecasting that "Maybe Happy Ending" would compete with "Death Becomes Her" for Best Musical. NYT chief critic Jesse Green predicted "Death Becomes Her" as the likely winner, but stated that his personal choice was "Maybe Happy Ending," saying, "This work represents progress on Broadway."

Green also identified Darren Criss of "Maybe Happy Ending" as a contender for Best Leading Actor, with Jonathan Groff of "Just In Time" as his main rival. For Best Direction, he predicted a contest between Michael Arden of "Maybe Happy Ending" and Jamie Lloyd of "Sunset Boulevard." For Best Book, he cited Park Chunghyu and Will Aronson of "Maybe Happy Ending" and Itamar Moses of "Dead Outlaw" as the main competitors. If Arden wins Best Direction, it will be his second Tony, following his win for "Parade" in 2023.

"Maybe Happy Ending" is set in the near future and tells the story of two 'Helperbots,' robots named Oliver and Claire who were created to assist humans. Oliver and Claire, once loved by their human owners, are now depicted as outdated Helperbots who have been abandoned.

The musical premiered in December 2016 at Daehangno through a creative support program by the Wooran Foundation for Culture and Arts. It enjoyed steady popularity and successfully completed five seasons by last year. In July 2016, an English-language reading was held in New York as part of preparations for international expansion, and in 2020, a tryout performance took place in Atlanta. The musical made its Broadway debut last year and has continued to enjoy box office success.

In Korea, the sixth season is scheduled to open at the end of this year. Lee added, "We are working hard with the goal of opening in October this year."