Here’s further proof that Louis C.K. is comedy’s current million-dollar superstar…
A mere two days after announcing his upcoming comedy tour, the 44-year-old half-Mexican American actor/comedian has already collected $4.5 million from the sale of some 100,000 tickets.
The lightning success could be due in part to Louis C.K.’s direct-sale approach. Instead of partnering with Ticketmaster like most artists do, the star of FX’s Louie is selling tickets to his shows directly on his own website. As a result, his tickets are much cheaper.
“Most tickets for comedians in a theater venue start at $50,” he tells Entertainment Weekly. “The cheapest ticket in most comedians’ markets is $45, which is, like, a horrible seat at a Bill Maher show, and then you have a ticket charge on top of that.”
By offering a flat rate and bypassing a ticket agency that adds an extra fee for its profit, he says, “My tickets are going to be $45 all over the country, and there’s no ticket charges because we’ve made deals with venues that don’t have lockdown affiliation deals.”
“I don’t do this for money,” he continues. “To me, it’s the number of tickets I sell that’s satisfying. I like knowing we sold out Chicago in an hour. That’s a good feeling. This year I’m going to have the lowest tickets on the road. I’m going to be the cheapest comedian ever!”
Previously, the funnyman successfully sold his stand-up special directly to fans on his website, inspiring Aziz Ansari and other comedians to do the same. Louis C.K. earned $1 million in just 12 days from his Live at Beacon Theater material and earned $5 million so far.