The Eccles Theater was an immediate hit, both with the audiences that flocked to the glittering new building in downtown Salt Lake City and to the finances of Pioneer Theatre Company.
Pioneer saw the challenge coming in the Eccles’ 2016 opening, it told Salt Lake County officials last year. It had planned to cover an expected budget shortfall in its 2016-17 season with cash reserves.
“Unfortunately, the impact was greater than expected: Total ticket sales for 2016-17 will be at an all-time low,” theater officials wrote last year in their application for county Zoo, Arts and Parks funding.