Stadiums and Large Arenas Lead Q3 Box Office Growth, Smaller Venues See Mixed Results

For the second consecutive year as part of the third-quarter recap, the monthly Deep Data Cuts feature focuses on box-office growth over the past three years at concert venues around the world. And, based on totals reported to Pollstar between Nov. 13, 2025 and Aug. 12, 2026, the number of people in attendance at live performances and the money earned at the box office from ticket sales appears to be relatively on par with results seen in the past two years.

Box-office figures from the first three quarters of 2026 do reflect moderate areas of growth – especially in grosses, but overall results are mixed with both rises and falls. Ticket sales tend to appear slightly lower overall, but, again, not in any way that would suggest an industry-wide falloff in concert activity – especially not in larger venues.

Percentage increases in 2026 are typically less than 5%, if there is an increase at all, and that is also true for any drops. Most decreases in a year-to-year comparison with 2025 are also less than 5%, with only a handful of exceptions.

The average ticket price is the one metric where upward movement is seen in all sizes of venues across the board. But gross averages increased in five of the eight venue groups categorized by size, while all but two of the same eight groups saw a slight decrease in tickets sold per show.

The eight venue categories determined by seating capacity begin with the 750 or Less group that primarily includes nightclubs. Next is the 751-1,500 category, then 1,501-2,500 and 2,501-5,000. Along with clubs, these four categories include theaters, performing arts centers and even small outdoor amphitheaters.

Most of the amphitheaters, though, are found in the four larger categories. Indoor arenas, stadiums and outdoor concert sites also fall in this range. The smallest of these four groups is the 5,001-10,000 category, followed by the 10,001-15,000 and 15,001-30,000 groups which typically feature larger arenas and sheds. Then, the largest category consists of stadiums and other venues over 30,000 in capacity.

As in 2025, the highest percentage of growth this year is seen in the Over 30,000 category with a ticket sales average of 46,299 per show for stadium-sized events by artists such as BTS, the concert headliner with the highest-grossing tour of the year so far. Bad Bunny, Luke Combs and co-headliners Chris Brown and Usher also rank among the top artists at stadiums.

This year’s average ticket count at venues with more than 30,000 seats is 7.5% higher than 2025’s per-show average. Gross averages also increased in the stadium group, jumping 12% in 2026, the highest of any venue category.

The Over 30,000-seat venues are the only ones that saw percentage jumps in all metrics in both 2026 and 2025. Prior to the 7.5% jump this year, last year’s increase over the 2024 ticket average was even higher at 15.2%. And, while the 12% increase in gross is the highest of the year, it is only half of 2025’s percentage increase. Last year, gross averages at stadiums were a whopping 24.1% higher than in 2024.

The 15,001-30,000 group is the other one with a higher ticket sales average at Q3 this year, compared to 2025. It is only a 1% jump but an increase nonetheless, from 11,842 in 2025 to 11,965 this year. Included are large indoor arenas like No. 1-ranked K-Arena Yokohama in Japan and New York’s Madison Square Garden where Lady Gaga wrapped her world tour, “The Mayhem Ball,” in April. Ranked fourth overall at Q3, she is the highest-ranked touring artist who performed primarily in arenas this year, rather than stadiums.

Aside from the two largest venue categories, however, decreases in ticket sales averages are the norm at Q3 this year. The other six groups all show a decline in third-quarter ticket sales per show, although decreases tend to be minimal.

In the smallest group of clubs with capacities of 750 or less, such as the City Winery venues in U.S. cities, the 2026 ticket average of 254 per show is only 1.9% less than the 259 average last year. Likewise, in the 1,501-2,500 category, which includes venues like Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and Boston’s Citizens House of Blues, the drop was even smaller – only 0.4% to 1,347 from 2025’s 1,352.

Two other venue groups also dropped slightly in ticket sales averages. The 2,501-5,000 category, with Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, Seattle’s Paramount Theatre and the Durham Performing Arts Center in North Carolina, saw a 1.4% decrease from 2,462 tickets per show in 2025 to 2,428 this year. Yet, the smallest decrease was 0.2% in the 10,001-15,000-capacity group with venues such as 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland; The OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland and Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Venues in that category averaged 7,929 tickets per show, down from 7,942 one year ago.

Larger decreases in ticket averages are seen in two venue categories. The first is the 5,001-10,000 group with a 4.1% drop from 5,039 per show last year to 4,833 in 2026. Venues in this category include New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City and London’s Royal Albert Hall. The largest percentage decrease in tickets, though, is found in the 751-1,500 category, featuring venues like The Palazzo Theatre in Las Vegas and Washington’s 9:30 Club. The 651-ticket average per show this year is 9.6% lower than last year’s 720. But last year’s decrease was even larger, falling 12.4% compared to the 743-ticket average in 2024.

Although also a mixed bag, gross averages fare better in the Q3 recap than ticket sales. Of the five venue categories with percentage increases, the Over 30,000 group’s 12% jump to $6.2 million is highest, but second best is the 750 or Less category. Grosses averaged 10.9% more in 2026 with $9,639 per show, up from $8,694 in 2025.

The venues with 15,001-30,000 capacities had the next best gross average of $1.2 million, a 4% increase over last year, while a smaller jump of 3.1% is seen in the 1,501-2,500 category and 1.7% in the 10,001-15,000 group.

Then, the 751-1,500 category, with the largest decrease in tickets, also has the biggest drop in gross, falling 2.5% below the 2025 gross average. The 2,501-5,000 and 5,001-10,000 categories also slipped in gross averages, but both by less than 1%.

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/09/24/q3-venue-charts-box-office-growth-highest-in-stadiums-large-arenas-mixed-results-in-smaller-rooms/)._