Broadway Musical 'KPOP' To Close This Month Due To Disappointing Ticket Sales

Dismal ticket sales have forced the first K-pop-inspired musical, "KPOP" to close its Broadway shows this month.

Just a few weeks after "KPOP" opened at the Circle in the Square on Broadway on Nov. 27, the musical is set to end its run on December 11 after 44 previews and 17 regular performances.

"KPOP" premiered off-Broadway in 2017 and reportedly stars actual K-pop singers such as former (f)x girl group member Luna, former U-Kiss boyband member Kevin Woo, former Miss A girl group member Min and BoHyung. Also included in the cast are Julia Abueva, Major Curda, Jinwoo Jung, Jiho Kang, Amy Keum, James Kho, Marina Kondo, Eddy Lee, Joshua Lee, Jully Lee, Lina Rose Lee, Timothy H. Lee, Abraham Lim, Kate Mina Lin, Aubie Merrylees, Patrick Park, Zachary Noah Piser and John Yi.

The musical tackles the Korean pop phenomenon and tells the story of fictional K-pop groups and a solo superstar who come together for a special one-night concert. Along the way, they learn to overcome cultural and personal issues and develop themselves as artists.

Despite generating considerable excitement among followers of K-pop, the show failed to attract an audience. Last week, the show grossed just $126,493, per the Deadline. About 72% of the seats in the venue were filled but the average ticket price was a measly $32.

In November, producer Joey Parnes told The Hollywood Reporter that "KPOP" had struggled to attract early audiences just as it has been collectively hard for producers to attract theatergoers to new or unknown musicals since Broadway reopened its doors after the pandemic.

"It's not surprising that if they're having to be discerning, they're going to choose something that is more certain," Parnes said at the time.

Since its previews in October, "KPOP" has often made less than $200,000 a week and ranked among the lowest-grossing musicals weekly.

The show's final performance will feature a panel discussion celebrating the successful representation of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities on Broadway. The panelists will include the first Asian-American playwright Tony Awardee David Henry Hwang, "KPOP" composer Helen Park, Korean playwright Hansol Jung and actor Pun Bandhu.