Film director Michael Moore may have arrived on Broadway with the self-professed goal of taking down a sitting president.

But in the end, his politically liberal-minded show, “The Terms of My Surrender,” which closed this past weekend, failed to wow at the box office.

In its 13-week run, including a preview period, the show had ticket sales of $4.2 million, according to BroadwayWorld.com, a theater website that tracks grosses based on data from the Broadway League, a trade group. That figure represents only about 49% of the show’s potential gross.

Mr. Moore’s largely one-man production started on a strong note, taking in $456,000 in its first full week. But it quickly fell well under that mark, with ticket sales dipping below $300,000 in some subsequent weeks.

By contrast, Bruce Springsteen’s show, also largely a one-man affair, has taken in nearly 100% of its potential gross in two of its first three weeks. The rock star’s production, simply titled “Springsteen on Broadway,” already has grossed a total of $6.6 million, far eclipsing Mr. Moore’s show.