'Betrayal' with Daniel Craig already a hit

[October 08, 2013]  NEW YORK (AP) -- The real-life husband-and-wife team Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz helped propel "Betrayal" to a Broadway record -- and the show hasn't even officially opened yet.

Data released Monday from The Broadway League shows that the first seven previews of the Harold Pinter revival earned $1,100,818, breaking the Barrymore Theater's weekly box office record. It took the crown set by the recent revival of "Death of a Salesman," which grossed $1,066,582 in June 2012.

The two shows share the same director, Mike Nichols, and lead producer, Scott Rudin. More records may fall soon when the show increases to eight performances a week. It opens Oct. 27, when critics have their say. Adding to its pull is that "Betrayal" is to play only 14 weeks, through Jan. 5.

Overall, the 28 shows on Broadway last week earned $21,422,654. A few new shows -- including "A Night With Janis Joplin," "The Snow Geese," "A Time to Kill" and "That Winslow Boy" -- have begun previews but haven't had critics weigh in yet. Another new show, "Big Fish," opened Sunday to mixed notices.

The numbers also show the softening in demand for "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" continues -- it grossed $654,748, or 42 percent of its potential $1,543,508 with its home, the Foxwoods Theatre, three-quarters full. Another show barely limping along is "Soul Doctor" which grossed only 15 percent of its $716,208 potential.

[Associated Press; By MARK KENNEDY]

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