WASHINGTON — Two of the world’s highest-grossing venues are in the D.C. region, according to a new report released Tuesday by Venues Today.
Verizon Center, in Northwest D.C., and the Patriot Center, in Fairfax, Virginia, each ranked in the top 20 for their respective categories.
The Verizon Center came in at No. 16 for venues with a capacity of 15,001 to 30,000 people, bringing in more than $20 million in ticket sales between Oct. 16, 2013, and May 15, 2014. About 223,241 people attended events during that time.
The Patriot Center ranked No. 11 for venues with a 5,001- to 10,000-person capacity. It generated $4.7 million in revenue and hosted more than 90,000 people.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment owns the Verizon Center and manages the Patriot Center. It also also owns the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics.
“We’re excited with the mid-year rankings that just came out for top grossing venues and it showcasing the vibrancy of the D.C. community when it comes to entertainment,” says Monumental Sports spokeswoman Sheila Francis.
“At this point in time last year, we were in the top 25 worldwide and now we’re in the top 16. So with only part of our fall schedule confirmed, we are tracking ahead of the curve from last year.”
Ticket sales for big-name shows are soaring despite rising ticket costs. Taylor Swift raked in $150 million on her recent tour, making it the highest-grossing tour by a country artist. And the highly anticipated Jay Z and Beyonce “On the Run” tour is expected to gross $100 million for just 19 shows.
“The economy is on the upswing and that means more bands are on the road, which means more tours, which means more events for venues,” says Jessica Boudevin, managing editor of Venues Today.
“Venue vendors are feeling very positive about the state of the industry,” she says.
Francis says the top grossing events for Monument Sports included Justin Timberlake, Cher, two back-to-back sellouts from Katy Perry, two World Wrestling Entertainment events and three Monster Jam shows.
Check below for more rankings:
High-grossing venues with capacity of 15,001 to 30,000
- 1. The O2 Arena, London – $105,222,807
2. Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York – $49,177,905
3. Allphones Arena, Sydney – $43,505,761
4. Madison Square Garden, New York – $38,544,365
5. Perth (Australia) Arena – $36,278,819
6. Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium – $30,616,803
7. Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia – $30,381,754
8. Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia – $29,052,585
9. O2 World Berlin – $27,791,045
10. American Airlines Center, Dallas – $27,405,888
11. Bell Centre, Montreal – $26,921,242
12. Air Canada Centre, Toronto – $25,759,882
13. LG Arena, Birmingham, England – $23,225,959
14. Toyota Center, Houston – $22,808,380
15. Staples Center, Los Angeles – $22,418,797
16. Verizon Center, Washington – $20,486,516
17. Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn. – $19,520,113
18. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn. – $18,541,168
19. Philips Arena, Atlanta – $18,396,753
20. Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta – $18,192,126
High-grossing venues with capacity of 5,001 to 10,000
- 1. Radio City Music Hall, New York – $19,078,632
2. Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut – $19,078,632
3. Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, Los Angeles – $16,713,841
4. Royal Albert Hall, London – $15,889,544
5. The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York – $15,831,969
6. The Axis at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas – $11,411,164
7. Forest National, Brussels – $9,315,481
8. Orleans Arena, Las Vegas – $6,263,849
9. Lotto Arena, Antwerp, Belgium – $5,871,616
10. State Farm Arena, Hidalgo, Texas – $4,972,811
11. Patriot Center, Fairfax, Virginia – $4,765,514
12. Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio – $4,266,126
13. CBS Canterbury Arena, Christchurch, New Zealand – $3,922,307
14. General Motors Centre, Oshawa, Ontario – $3,902,837
15. Hordern Pavilion, Sydney – $3,546,221
16. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – $3,104,272
17. Newcastle (Australia) Entertainment Centre – $3,044,027
18. Geneva Arena – $2,985,337
19. Event Center at San Jose State University, California – $2,967,897
20. Pensacola Bay Center, Florida – $2,895,662
The venue rankings are only for concerts and other performances. Sales from concessions or sporting events are not included in this list.
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