UK cinema circuits 1914-1945
This information is part of work in progress, assembled from disparate sources, to track the ownership of British cinemas.
Only circuits which have had more than 10 screens are included, although where known, the data for those circuits is given, even if fewer than 10 screens were in ownership.
Names of circuits that are listed for the later period (1947-1969) are highlighted in bold.
A colon : marks years when circuits were in operation but for which the number of screens is not available.
A dash — indicates that the circuit did not exist at that time.

THE MAJOR CIRCUITS (100 screens or more)	head office	1914	1920	1927	1931	1933	1939	1945
Associated British Cinemas (ABC)	London					147	:	:
Gaumont-British Picture Corporation	London	—	—	21	:	287	:	:
Circuits with 10 or more screens	head office	1914	1920	1927	1931	1933	1939	1945
Albany Ward	London	29	Acquired by PCT (see below)
Bedford Cinemas	Liverpool			15	:	:	:	:
Bernstein Theatres	London	—	—	10
Biocolor Picture Theatres	London	8	25
Broadhead's Theatres	Manchester		17	16
Cambria & Border Cinemas	Wrexham			13
CD Cinemas	Birmingham	—	—	11
Cinema Service	[London]				6	26
E C Clayton	Sheffield		8	13
County Cinemas						30
Eagle Picturedromes	Wigan		7	12	:	:	:	:
J F Emery	Manchester	—	—	10	:	:	:	:
Essoldo Circuit (Control)	Newcastle upon Tyne	—	—	—	—	—	—	:
Granada Theatres	London							35
George Green	Glasgow	10	12	12	:	:	:	:
Leslie Greene	Liverpool	—	—	8	:	:	:	:
Circuits with 10 or more screens	head office	1914	1920	1927	1931	1933	1939	1945
Haigh & Son	Liverpool		14	11
[Sir] A B King Circuit	Glasgow		18	19	:	42	:	:
H D Moorhouse Circuit	Manchester	—	—	28	:	56	:	:
New Century Pictures	Leeds		13	12
North-Western Film Booking Agency	Liverpool	—	—	10
Nottingham Pictures	Nottingham			19
Provincial Cinematograph Theatres (PCT)	London	18	68	85
Regent Circuit	Liverpool					38	:	:
Savoy Cinemas	London		—	10
Scottish Cinema & Variety Theatres	Glasgow		20	26
Shipman and King Cinemas	London	—	—	11	:	:	:	:
Singleton Cinemas	Glasgow	—	—	12
S M Associated Cinemas	Manchester						31	60
Thos Ormiston	Motherwell		11	24	:	:	:	:
Union Cinemas and Assoc Companies	London					33	:	:
			213	408	:	659	:	:

Principal sources: PEP: The British Film Industry (1952); Kinematograph Yearbooks; Margaret Dickinson and Sarah Street: Cinema and State (1985)

Go to the 1947-1969 period.

Cinema statistics index