Any concerns that Celine Dion couldn’t be replaced as a marquee Las Vegas attraction have disappeared. According to Variety magazine yesterday, Cher and her Caesars Palace stablemate Bette Midler have instantly joined the list of hottest attractions in Sin City, selling out the Colosseum at Caesars Palace for every concert since the departure of Dion.
The two shows have already grossed about US$24 million in ticket sales.
Promoter AEG Live does not release specific grosses, but each sell-out generates about $700,000, Variety reports.
Cher’s Colosseum run concluded Sunday and she resumes her residency Aug. 6, performing Tuesdays, Wednesdays and weekends through Oct. 5. As currently scheduled, Cher’s tally for the year will be 50 shows.
Midler is booked Tuesday through Sunday in June and July and for two weeks each in October, November and Decemberand it is expected that she will play 68 concerts in ’08.
Estimated grosses for the year would put Midler around $47 million and Cher at about $35 million, collectively topping Dion’s highest grossing box office year in ’05 with $81.3 million on about 160 shows.
Elton John’s “The Red Piano,” is booked for a about 50 dates per year at the Colosseum.
Dion was consistently in the top 10 during her four years and eight months at the Colosseum. Dion performed 717 concerts and grossed $400 million in ticket sales.
