Rialto's Successes, Failures For 2017 Revealed

JOLIET, IL - As part of the city's annual $500,000 subsidy to help fund the arts at the historic Rialto Square Theatre, management must provide Joliet with access to the financial books. For this year, Joliet structured the annual payment in two installments of $250,000. The city's second payment is coming up quickly. In theory, city council members should have another opportunity to review the Rialto's ongoing financial records, under its new management team, Iowa-based VenuWorks.

Meanwhile, the Joliet Patch recently submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the city seeking all financial records Rialto officials have furnished City Hall so far this year. Our objective: analyze the Rialto's box office shows to better understand what individual shows were financial successes, which shows didn't do so hot and which ones basically broke even.

In response to the FOIA, the city of Joliet complied and provided a number of Rialto financial reports. The records provided to Patch included the box office shows for the last six months of 2017.

After reviewing the financial records, however, Patch did not find any documents listing the Rialto's show-to-show financial breakdown for any of its concerts and performances so far in 2018. In other words, the Rialto apparently has not provided this data to the city or nobody at Joliet has asked for it.

RELATED: Rialto Doesn't Need $500,000 From City Anymore: Ferak Column

To recap, some of the Rialto's major headliners since January have included: Dennis Miller, Lewis Black, Jim Jefferies, REO Speedwagon, Doughtry, Pat Benetar, Dwight Yoakam, 3 Doors Down, Fabulous Thunderbirds/Los Lobos, Buddy Guy and Engelbert Humperdinck.

The following shows are not all of the events the Rialto held between July and December 2017. Rather, these are all major shows, events that cost the Rialto at least $10,000 to bring to downtown Joliet.

1. THE NUTCRACKER

Cost: $32,500
Revenue: $64,100
Difference: $31,600, positive for Rialto

2. OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN

Cost: $15,990
Revenue: $35,450
Difference: $19,460, positive for Rialto

3. THREE DOG NIGHT

Cost: $26,700
Revenue: $43,440
Difference: $16,740, positive for Rialto

4. GORDON LIGHTFOOT

Cost: $21,255
Revenue: $36,505
Difference: $15,250, positive for Rialto

5. SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY

Cost: $24,680
Revenue: $39,200
Difference: $14,520, positive for Rialto

6. WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY?

Cost: $14,790
Revenue: $24,940
Difference: $10,150, positive for Rialto

7. CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS TOUR

Cost: $17,130

Revenue: $26,200

Difference: $9,070, positive for Rialto

8. A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

Cost: $25,000
Revenue: $31,850
Difference: $6,850, positive for Rialto

9. CIRQUE HOLIDAZE

Cost: $30,335
Revenue: $36,960
Difference: $6,625, positive for Rialto

10. THE COLORS OF CHRISTMAS

Cost: $29,540
Revenue: $36,060
Difference: $6,520

11. YANNI

Cost: $49,300
Revenue: $53,000
Difference: $3,700, positive for Rialto

Other Rialto shows that were less profitable:

1. BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA CHRISTMAS ROCKS TOUR

Cost: $73,560
Revenue: $56,700
Difference: Negative cash flow $16,860

2. WORLD OF DANCE

Cost: $29,000
Revenue: $22,450
Difference: Negative cash flow of $6,550

3. TANYA TUCKER AND SAMMY KERSHAW

Cost: $22,850
Revenue: $23,430
Difference: Positive cash flow of $580 for Rialto.

4. BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS

Cost: $25,100
Revenue: $26,000
Difference: $900 positive cash flow for Rialto

Main image taken last year by Joliet Patch Editor John Ferak, all other images via Rialto Square Theatre