This has inevitably resulted in a fierce battle for new sites. Compared with the cinema, the theatre industry is extremely fragmented, comprising a wide diversity of companies, ranging from the major commercial theatre companies and the national companies, to the small provincial theatres and touring groups. The leading commercial theatre companies are Apollo Theatre Group, The Really Useful Group, Mayfair Theatres and Delfont Cameron Mackintosh Theatres. Generally, the UK theatre industry is seriously underfunded due to cutbacks in government grant aid over many years. Despite new funding from The National Lottery, there is a crisis in the subsidised sector, with many theatres experiencing financial difficulties.
Future prospects look extremely promising and positive for cinemas than theatres.
The main growth will come from the London theatres.