Rachel Hou / Shanghai Daily news

Only 15, or eight percent, of the city's 184 theaters were able to make ends meet, though nearly 10,000 performances are given in local theaters annually, today's Oriental Morning Post reported.
According to a recent government survey, many theaters have lost money, and 30 theaters have had no performances for one year.
Even the few theaters that succeed at making money have no reason to smile. The Shanghai Grand Theater, the big brother of local theater industry, posted a profit of 20 million yuan(US$2.4 million) last year. The revenue is modest compared with that of large theaters in other metropolises.