'The Book of Mormon' is in the black

Producers of The Book of Mormon announced today that the Tony-winning hit musical has earned back its initial investment. What does that mean? It’s profit time, baby. Mormon—which is believed to have cost around $9 million to produce and $600,000 per week to stage—has been earning an average of $1.1 million weekly since it opened last March. Its total earnings are now upwards of $45 million dollars, thanks in part to an airline-style differential pricing policy that enables producers to charge top dollar for seats based on availability.

Some more Mormon numbers: The show, created by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone with Avenue Q‘s Robert Lopez, has had 310 performances as of Sunday. It’s sold more than 338,000 tickets so far and broken 22 house records at the relatively modest-sized Eugene O’Neill Theatre—which hosted fellow Tony winners Nine and Spring Awakening, as well as The Full Monty. It’s the fourth-highest-grossing Broadway musical this year (behind Wicked, The Lion King, and Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark). Average ticket price: $134.35. Highest ticket price: $470. Getting in to see it: priceless.