'God of Carnage' a hit at the Ahmanson box office

Before the eight-week run closed Sunday at the Ahmanson Theatre, "God of Carnage" sold 97,567 tickets and grossed $7,794,941. Those are all-time highs for a play (but not a musical) staged by the Center Theatre Group, says Culture Monster.

The previous top-grossing play at the Ahmanson was "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," which starred Lily Tomlin, earning $3.7 million for an eight-week run in the 2002-03 season. The next highest-grossing play was a revival of "Death of a Salesman," starring Brian Dennehy, which brought in about $3.5 million in eight weeks during the 2000-01 season.

CTG said that its highest-grossing musicals include "The Phantom of the Opera," which ran for close to four years, bringing in $163 million, as well as "Jersey Boys," which ran for 15 weeks in 2007 as part of a national tour, earning $18 million.

The play, about two sets of parents who attempt to forge a peace after their sons are involved in a fight, featured Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden reprising their roles from the Tony-winning Broadway production.

Photo: Joan Marcus/CTG