Flop-hit
Encyclopedia
Flop-hit, a term coined by American critic Frank Rich
in his book The Hot Seat, refers to a theatrical production (often on Broadway
, where economics are difficult) that appears to be a hit but turns out to lose money (a "flop").
The mechanics of a flop-hit are complex. As Rich explains it, in order to produce a play a certain amount of capital
must be raised; when the play runs, it has weekly expenses that must be paid by weekly ticket receipts. In order for a play to run it must meet this weekly break-even point, but that initial capital (sometimes over many millions of US$) is only paid back in weekly bits out of whatever is left over after the expenses are met. Thus a play can run indefinitely and appear to be a runaway hit, but close to a large financial loss for its initial backers.
Some recent Broadway
productions that fall into the category of flop-hit are Woman of the Year
, Jerome Robbins' Broadway
, The Will Rogers Follies, and Sunset Boulevard
, the latter of which ran more than two years on Broadway in the mid-90s without paying back any of its more than US$10 million outlay.
Frank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
in his book The Hot Seat, refers to a theatrical production (often on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, where economics are difficult) that appears to be a hit but turns out to lose money (a "flop").
The mechanics of a flop-hit are complex. As Rich explains it, in order to produce a play a certain amount of capital
Financial capital
Financial capital can refer to money used by entrepreneurs and businesses to buy what they need to make their products or provide their services or to that sector of the economy based on its operation, i.e. retail, corporate, investment banking, etc....
must be raised; when the play runs, it has weekly expenses that must be paid by weekly ticket receipts. In order for a play to run it must meet this weekly break-even point, but that initial capital (sometimes over many millions of US$) is only paid back in weekly bits out of whatever is left over after the expenses are met. Thus a play can run indefinitely and appear to be a runaway hit, but close to a large financial loss for its initial backers.
Some recent Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
productions that fall into the category of flop-hit are Woman of the Year
Woman of the Year
Woman of the Year is a romantic comedy film. The movie is about an emancipated woman, chosen "Woman of the Year", and her colleague-turned-husband and their efforts to negotiate a path to marital bliss....
, Jerome Robbins' Broadway
Jerome Robbins' Broadway
Jerome Robbins' Broadway is an anthology comprising musical numbers from earlier shows that were either directed or choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Robbins won his fifth Tony Award for direction of the show....
, The Will Rogers Follies, and Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard (musical)
Sunset Boulevard is a musical with book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based on the 1950 film of the same title, the plot revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the...
, the latter of which ran more than two years on Broadway in the mid-90s without paying back any of its more than US$10 million outlay.