The impact following the viral moment of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars continues to unfold. Although the comedian has been ridiculed since Sunday night, a recent report has shared that the heat of the moment is now working in his favor.
Fortune reports that ticket sales for his upcoming stand-up tour, Ego Death, have hit a spike over the past few days.
“We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined,” ticket marketplace site TickPick shared via Twitter.
We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined.
— TickPick (@TickPick) March 28, 2022
Along with more people getting their hands on tickets, prices have gone up as well, according to the company’s brand manager, Kyle Zorn. On March 30, Rock will be heading to Boston’s Wilbur Theatre for his next show and the cheapest ticket has gone from $46 (as of March 18) to $411 (as of March 28).
Chris Rock performs at Wilbur Theatre on Wednesday…
$46: Cheapest ticket sold on March 18th
$411: Cheapest ticket currently available
(Data via @TickPick)
— Kyle Zorn (@Kyle_Zorn) March 28, 2022
With a total of 38 dates currently scheduled for the upcoming tour, time will tell just how much his pockets will benefit from the Oscars altercation. Ego Death — which includes stops in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and more — is the 57-year-old’s first tour in five years, in which he promised “all new material introspective very personal and very funny,” back in February, according to Vibe.
“Lauded by peers and critics alike, Chris Rock is one of our generation’s strongest comedic voices,” Live Nation said in a statement regarding the tour. “With a career spanning more than three decades, Rock has enjoyed ongoing success in both film and television as a comedian, actor, writer, producer and director.”
The Oscars Showdown
According to Shadow and Act, the physical exchange between Smith and Rock occurred after the latter made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith that didn’t fly for the married couple.
Smith has since issued an apology for the slap via his Instagram.
Rock has yet to issue a public statement on the matter.