It's only an estimate, but the recent run of "The Phantom of the Opera" is believed to have affected the Tulsa economy to the tune of some $11 million.
The League of American Theaters and Producers, Inc., developed an Economic Impact Study to estimate the "economic impact" of Broadway touring shows. It is a formula similar to what many arts organizations use to determine what sort of tangible effect on a community's finances the arts have.
In the case of "Phantom," brought to Tulsa by Celebrity Attractions, more than 66,300 people attended the 32 performances of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Visitors from 41 other states, as well as Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico also attended the run of "Phantom" in Tulsa.
The $11 million economic impact is determined by taking into account local labor and salaries, advertising,
rentals and taxes, as well as the ancillary spending of the ticket buyers, which
is estimated at $4,600,000 spent on dining, hotels, shopping, transportation, etc.
By comparison, the 1996 run of "Phantom," a 38-performance stretch drew 89,935 theatergoers, and was estimated to have an economic impact of close to $10 miilion.
Both, however, pale in comparison to what "The Lion King" did in 2006. A total of 101,548 people attended the 46 performances, which generated an estimated economic impact of $19.2 million.
