The Marcus Corporation

The Marcus Corporation

The Marcus Corporation was founded in 1935 by Ben Marcus, who opened a single movie theater in Ripon, Wisconsin. Today, the company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker MCS, with the Marcus family retaining significant voting control through a dual-class stock structure. Gregory S. Marcus, grandson of the founder, serves as President and CEO. The company operates two primary business segments. Marcus Theatres is the fourth-largest cinema chain in the United States, with over 800 screens across 60 locations in the Midwest and upper Midwest. Marcus Hotels & Resorts owns and manages 10 properties in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois, including the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee and the Grand Geneva Resort. The company also develops real estate, often building hotels adjacent to its theaters. The Marcus Corporation employs over 8,000 people. The Marcus family's philanthropic arm, the Marcus Corporation Foundation, focuses on education and the arts in the communities where the company operates. In fiscal 2024, the company reported total revenues of approximately $740 million. A structural differentiator is the dual-class stock structure that gives the Marcus family 70% of voting power with only 10% of total equity — allowing them to control strategy while public shareholders provide capital. This architecture is rare among movie-theater and hotel operators, aligning long-term family governance with public-market discipline.