Billy Elliot arrives and the theater box office has a new favorite

The competitive Buenos Aires theater scene has a new box office champion: "Billy Elliot." The musical, based on Stephen Daldry's film with music by Elton John, has surged to the top of the audience rankings, displacing other popular productions.

In the latest audience measurements from Aadet, the industry's representative body, "Billy Elliot" claimed the number one spot. "Hairspray," which had previously led the charts, and "Sottovoce," starring Adrián Suar, Lorena Vega, Fernán Mirás, and Carla Peterson, now occupy the second and third positions, respectively.

Other notable shows continue to draw crowds. Guillermo Francella's "Desde el jardín" has moved to fourth place, while "Rocky," starring Nicolás Vázquez, is fifth. The top ten also includes "El jefe del jefe" with Diego Peretti and Federico D`Elía, "Anastasia," "Annie" featuring Lizy Tagliani, "La cena de los tontos," and "Berlín, Berlín."

Looking ahead, "Charly y la fábrica de chocolate," starring Agustín “Rada” Aristarán, is expected to make a significant impact. Having already sold over 20,000 tickets in its pre-sale and commencing performances at the Gran Rex theater, it is poised to become another major draw. The influx of these large-scale productions reflects a trend of prominent figures from television and film investing in theater, particularly in the absence of extensive fiction programming on open television and film shoots.