Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz claim huge success with Betrayal on Broadway
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Version 0 of 1. Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz have proved box-office dynamite on Broadway. Betrayal, which had its final performances last Saturday, grossed a total of $17.5 million (£10.7m) in only 14 weeks. The husband and wife pairing starred alongside Rafe Spall in Harold Pinter’s classic 1978 drama, which charts the evolution of an adulterous triangle in reverse chronological order. The production opened in October to mixed reviews: some all-out raves, some disappointed. That was no obstacle to a star-driven production that proved the second biggest non-musical Broadway hit of the year, behind only Tom Hanks’s performance in the late Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy, which grossed $22.9m (£14m), but played for four weeks longer in a larger theatre. However, 14 weeks is a long commitment for stars like Craig and Weisz, who reportedly stayed in separate bedrooms to maintain the frostiness between their characters. Betrayal also broke the record for the highest single-week box-office gross by a straight play in Broadway history, with the final week of 2013 pulling in more than $1.4m over nine shows. Top-price premium tickets hit a high of $423 (£258). The production, which played at the 1,058-seat Ethel Barrymore theatre, recouped its costs in its 10th week, though its team of producers, led by Scott Rudin, never revealed its budget. James Bond star Craig has become one of the most bankable stars on Broadway. His last New York stage outing, starring alongside Hugh Jackman in the premiere of Keith Huff’s A Steady Rain, drew in more than $15m in only 13 weeks. He hasn’t appeared onstage in the UK since 2002, when he starred in Caryl Churchill’s A Number at the Royal Court opposite Michael Gambon. Skyfall, the last film in the Bond franchise, grossed more than $1.1 billion (£671m) worldwide. • Read the Guardian's review of Betrayal here Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |