Broadway grosses hit another record high in 2017, with overall box office surpassing $1.5 billion for the first time, driven by premium pricing for such in-demand shows as Hamilton, Hello, Dolly!and Springsteen on Broadway.

Hollywood Boulevard, 4:45 a.m. The sky is charcoal-colored and hazy, the nearly empty streets bathed in a blur of red, orange and green from a thicket of neon signage — the W Hollywood hotel, Deco-era apartments, Dunkin’ Donuts.

Leading the charge was juggernaut Hamilton, which beat record-holder Wicked for highest gross in a single week, at a staggering $3.26 million. The average ticket leapt to $303 per seat, spurred by the planned increase of premium tickets to $998, the highest in history.

“Hamilton” may cement Broadway’s lead. Revenues of $80m since opening last summer, averaging $1.7m a week, put it on track to break the billion-dollar barrier in just over a decade. Once productions open in Chicago, Los Angeles and London, returns could triple for the show’s creators and backers.

Producers and investors together stand to make tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr. Miranda will become quite wealthy. And a diverse group of collaborators — from the lighting designer to Mr. Miranda’s show-tune-loving father — will share in the bounty.

The average play costs about $3m to produce, and many of the large Broadway plays cost between $10m and $20m, so there are plenty of opportunities for well-heeled theatre goers, said Ken Davenport, a Broadway producer who also helps connect investors with opportunities.