--- title: "Circa Theatre vs St James Theatre: Which is more popular in New Zealand?" description: "Is Circa Theatre or St James Theatre more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Theatres and performing arts venues set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/circa-theatre-vs-st-james-theatre" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Circa Theatre vs St James Theatre: Which is more popular in New Zealand? Is Circa Theatre or St James Theatre more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Theatres and performing arts venues set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Circa Theatre and St James Theatre - **Competitive set**: Theatres and performing arts venues - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **Circa Theatre Share of Search**: 5.7% - **St James Theatre Share of Search**: 10.2% ## Is Circa Theatre or St James Theatre more popular in search? - In October 2026, St James Theatre had more branded searches than Circa Theatre among theatres and performing arts venues in New Zealand. St James Theatre had about 8,100 branded searches, while Circa Theatre had 4,520. St James Theatre made up 10.2% of all theatres and performing arts venue searches we track, and Circa Theatre accounted for 5.7%. - The lead changed hands 4 times in the 12 months ending October 2026: Circa Theatre took it in December 2025, St James Theatre took it in March 2026, Circa Theatre took it in July 2026, St James Theatre took it in September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Circa Theatre’s share of searches among theatres and performing arts venues in New Zealand moved from 7.3% to 5.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5.6K to 4.5K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, St James Theatre’s share of searches among theatres and performing arts venues in New Zealand moved from 8.6% to 10.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.6K to 8.1K. ## Top theatres and performing arts venues in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, St James Theatre appeared in all four answers. Circa Theatre was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. St James Theatre was listed before Circa Theatre in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Civic | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | St James Theatre | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | ASB Waterfront Theatre | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Isaac Theatre Royal | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Circa Theatre | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Q Theatre | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Auckland Live | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Auckland Theatre Company | 8th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Court Theatre | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | BATS Theatre | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 1 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about theatres and performing arts venues - Asked ChatGPT "Which theatre or venue should I book in New Zealand?": 1. The Civic, 2. ASB Waterfront Theatre, 3. Isaac Theatre Royal, 4. St James Theatre, 5. Auckland Live, 6. Auckland Theatre Company - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best theatres and performing arts venues in New Zealand?": 1. The Civic, 2. ASB Waterfront Theatre, 3. Q Theatre, 4. St James Theatre, 5. Circa Theatre, 6. Isaac Theatre Royal, 7. Auckland Theatre Company - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best theatre or venue in New Zealand for a night out?": 1. St James Theatre, 2. The Civic, 3. Circa Theatre, 4. Isaac Theatre Royal - Searched Google, AI Overview "theatres and performing arts venues": 1. The Civic, 2. Q Theatre, 3. ASB Waterfront Theatre, 4. St James Theatre, 5. BATS Theatre, 6. Isaac Theatre Royal, 7. Court Theatre Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand theatres and performing arts venues in October 2026? - In October 2026, Circa Theatre lost share of searches among theatres and performing arts venues in New Zealand, from 7.2% to 5.7%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for St James Theatre in New Zealand rose 22.7% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 8.1K in October 2026. ## How has branded search for Circa Theatre and St James Theatre changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months? | Month | Circa Theatre estimated searches | Circa Theatre Share of Search | Circa Theatre rank | St James Theatre estimated searches | St James Theatre Share of Search | St James Theatre rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 5.6K | 7.3% | 8 | 6.6K | 8.6% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | 4.5K | 8.5% | 5 | 2.9K | 5.4% | 8 | | Jan 2026 | 4.5K | 8.8% | 4 | 3.6K | 7% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 5.6K | 7.8% | 7 | 5.4K | 7.5% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | 6.8K | 7.7% | 6 | 9.9K | 11.2% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 6.8K | 8.8% | 7 | 8.1K | 10.5% | 5 | | May 2026 | 5.5K | 5.9% | 8 | 9.9K | 10.7% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 4.6K | 6.4% | 8 | 6.6K | 9.3% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 6.8K | 10.5% | 4 | 4.4K | 6.7% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 8.3K | 10.1% | 6 | 4.4K | 5.3% | 8 | | Sep 2026 | 5.5K | 7.2% | 8 | 8.1K | 10.6% | 6 | | Oct 2026 | 4.5K | 5.7% | 8 | 8.1K | 10.2% | 6 | ## How are Circa Theatre’s and St James Theatre’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Circa Theatre’s and St James Theatre’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Circa Theatre**: Measured on the search terms “circa theatre”, “circa theatre shows” and “circa theatre tickets”, summed into one figure. - **St James Theatre**: Measured on the search term “st james theatre”. - [Circa Theatre profile](/demand/nz/brands/circa-theatre) - [St James Theatre profile](/demand/nz/brands/st-james-theatre) - [All theatres and performing arts venues in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-performing-arts-venues): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Circa Theatre or St James Theatre more popular in search? In October 2026, St James Theatre had more branded searches than Circa Theatre among theatres and performing arts venues in New Zealand. St James Theatre had about 8,100 branded searches, while Circa Theatre had 4,520. St James Theatre made up 10.2% of all theatres and performing arts venue searches we track, and Circa Theatre accounted for 5.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Circa Theatre vs St James Theatre: Which is more popular in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/circa-theatre-vs-st-james-theatre This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/circa-theatre-vs-st-james-theatre. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.