Celine by the numbers: How 917 turns into half a billion

By John Katsilometes

Tuesday, June 17, 2014 | 5:13 p.m.

Celine Dion’s value to Caesars Palace can be measured in numbers. When she performs, the hotel makes a lot more money that it does when she is not performing.

But her impact and influence are felt strategically, too, in how the lineup of superstar headliners at the Colosseum is assembled.

Celine has built a massive fan base throughout Canada, particularly around her original hometown of Charlemagne, Quebec.

When AEG Live/Concerts West and Caesars Entertainment were entertaining the concept of bringing Shania Twain into the Colosseum as a recurring resident headliner, they took a look at who bought tickets to Celine’s shows in Las Vegas.

Canadians. By the thousands. Twain is from Canada and also has a lot of fans from that country, so …

“As we’ve always said, we try to focus on Middle America first, which is everything between New York and L.A. — or middle Canada, in this case,” AEG Live/Concerts West President John Meglen said in November 2012 just as Shania was about to start her run at Caesars.

“We are absolutely looking at Celine as a model, and we have a tremendous Canadian database to begin with — just using that alone is usually something that will help in the success of (Twain’s) show.”

That built-in audience up north has helped boost the ticket sales for Celine and Shania. Tonight, Celine is to celebrate the 200th performance of her second Colosseum residency, which began in March 2011.

She continues to serve as a rare example of an artist who sets the highest standard, artistically and financially. For verification, here are some numbers to bolster that contention:

717: Total number of shows performed during her first residency “A New Day …” from 2003-2007.

917: Total number of shows performed in Las Vegas in two headlining runs.

3,580,000: Total number of paid guests who have seen Celine at the Colosseum.

$382.5 million: Total gross revenue from Celine’s “A New Day …” residency.

$125 million: Total gross revenue from Celine’s current residency.

$508 million: Total gross revenue — that’s half a billion dollars — generated by Celine since 2003 in Las Vegas.

31: New dates added to Celine’s current residency, stretching from New Year’s Eve Weekend through the end of March.

3: Number of years announced on Celine’s original contract to return to the Colosseum. That original contract has been extended, as the original terms expired in March, but details have never been formally verified.

What Caesars Entertainment officials will say is that as long as Celine wants to perform at the Colosseum, they will have her. And that number would be infinity.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.