Revenue on the Rise, or Revenue Under Strain?
The headline figures look strong.
West End box-office revenue has surpassed £1 billion, reaching record levels. Broadway's 2025–26 season grossed a record $1.91 billion.
Do these record-breaking figures only tell part of the story?
The pressure on revenue is being felt across the sector, far beyond the West End and Broadway. The same SOLT/UK Theatre research shows that 36% of UK theatre organisations expect to run a deficit this year, rising to 51% among subsidised and charitable venues.
Financial strain does not stop with organisations forecasting a deficit either.
In conversations with ticketing teams across the UK, North America and beyond, we keep hearing about rising costs, pressure on margins, changing audience behaviour and the challenge of making every seat, transaction and customer interaction work harder.
The numbers tell us revenue is up. The conversations tell a more complicated story.
That is the gap we want to understand.
The Revenue Report by Line-Up is exploring where the real pressures on revenue are being felt, where opportunities are being missed and what ticketing teams need to unlock more value from the audiences they already have.
Rather than trying to fill in the gaps ourselves, we're asking the people closest to them.
Where is the pressure really coming from? Where are opportunities being missed? What would make the biggest difference to revenue in your organisation?
The numbers tell us what's happening. Ticketing professionals can tell us why.
Have your say, take the survey today.
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