Broadway takes massive hit as NYC suburbanites steer clear over ‘safety concerns’: survey

Broadway is attracting fewer theatergoers from New York City suburbs — and a major reason is “safety concerns” about Manhattan, according to a survey.

The Great White Way sold 12.3 million tickets for the 2022-2023 season — a 17% drop versus 2018-2019, the last complete season before Broadway shut down because of the pandemic, according to data the Broadway League released last month.

New York metro suburbanites accounted for a mere 14% or 1.7 million of the overall tickets last season — the lowest number on record in the 23 years the Broadway League has tracked such data.

The Broadway League declined to comment on the dip.

“We do not speculate generally about the numbers,” spokesperson Scalla Jakso said in an email.  

Even as tourism to the Big Apple is rebounding, the city has a perception problem among New York metro suburbanites who are over 55 years old, said Damian Bazadona, president of Situation Group.