Big differences in ticket sales – wien.ORF.at

The average occupancy rate at Burgtheater and Akademietheater was over 60 percent in October, and the Academic Theater was booked at 70 percent in the last week of October. “The trend is correct, and the numbers are developing positively,” says Burgthether’s press office. Volkswagen is in a similar position, with an average occupancy rate of 70 percent since the start of the season.

Optimism in the theater at Der Josefstadt

The theater at monastery Josefstadt is also optimistic: although September was poor, October was very good and November was cause for celebration. The total occupancy rate since the start of the season was 73.04 percent and 77.01 percent for the Josefstadt Room Games.

Two years of the pandemic were to leave its mark. “All cultural event organizers will need some time to get record results again, but I’m sure we can do it in Vienna,” explains Christian Heimer-Strobelli, director of marketing for theater at Der Josefstadt.

The Vienna State Opera evaluates the situation positively, not least because of tourism. Forty percent of September tickets sold went to tourists. In October, the big house was about 95 percent haunted, and in November the number is about 97 percent so far.

Hard times for live business

Because of the pandemic, people automatically decide whether or not to go to an event. More tickets are being bought at the box office, reports Christoph Klinger, president of CTS Eventim Austria GmbH, to which Oeticket also belongs. “People think maybe the band won’t show up or the tour will be cancelled. You wait until the end,” says Klinger.

Due to poor pre-sales, cancellations will accumulate. German band Tocotronic postponed their tour and Mavi Phoenix had to cancel completely. At the moment, the halls are filled with big names. “The medium breaks off, if you will,” Klinger says. “At the top, rock dinosaurs, they sell so well we run out.”

The public suffers from inflation

In any case, the epidemic and inflation had significantly changed the behavior of the public. According to a recent SORA survey, every second person in Austria is already forced to make savings. Peter Zellmann of the Institute for Entertainment Research explains to “Wien heute” that people will save first on culture because they think they can catch up later. According to Zellmann, about a third of people who are currently uneducated give financial reasons.