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(CBS 58) — Movies have been around for well over a century, bringing families together and making memories. In Wisconsin, the Marcus family is behind one of the nation’s largest movie chains.
90 years later, they remain committed to their original values and making movie magic. It all started in Ripon, Wisconsin back in 1935 with Ben Marcus. His grandson, Greg Marcus, is now the face of the company as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of The Marcus Corporation.
“He converted this department store to a movie theater, which we still have to this day! It’s called the campus theater. It’s in Ripon. We call it the shrine” shared Greg. ‘The Shrine’ has brought in years of success — And that theater still stands alongside 78 others in 17 states! “I can’t tell you where theaters two through 20 are, but I can tell you where the first one is, because it’s important to remember where he came from” Greg said.
Ben and Ceil Marcus in 1930s
In the 1960’s, Ben Marcus started expanding, explained Greg, “He said, ‘I shouldn’t have all my eggs in one basket.’ And he started getting in the real estate business. And he got into the restaurant business.” After the restaurants, Ben started buying hotels too, “so at one point we had full-service hotels, and limited-service hotels, and restaurants and movie theaters,” shared Greg.
“It’s incredible. My grandfather would never believe what would happen to the business, good and bad, he would never have imagined it, but at least I don’t think he would have.”
Some of those hotels include the Pfister and Saint Kate. That’s where you’ll be able to find Greg off the movie screen and behind a piano. He says playing the piano is a passion he’s had since childhood. “Jeff and I have been playing together for years there. And yeah, cocktail hour from 5:30 to 7:30 [on Tuesdays] is just fun to go do it, and it’s something different. And we have fun. And he carries me, because he’s a professional… it’s just sort of music to fill the room.”
In 1993, Marcus Corporation moves to the New York Stock Exchange.
When he’s not playing the piano or running The Marcus Corporation, you’ll find Greg as the final trailer before the movie starts playing at a Marcus Theatre. “I’m on at about minute 14. I know exactly when I’m on.” Greg said he likes to sneak in after his trailer, though his family prefers him to come in before, “because they can torture me because they like they know that it’s very hard for me to watch myself.” Nonetheless, he’s been a part of about 100 trailers over the last 14 years.
Greg said he didn’t “intend to be the face of the business,” but as Co-Chair for the nonprofit of United Way, when he was asked in 2012 to be in front of the camera, he said he would think about it and said he would do it “if I can have a little bit of fun.” He’s done just that – had fun with trailers and social media. Some videos on TikTok have even garnered millions of views!
“That started, and we said, ‘you know what? Something, something good is happening. And people … they seem to be reacting positively to it. I’m not sure anybody’s coming here to actually see me, but — it makes it feel local,” Greg shared.
Whether it’s filling a room with music or popcorn, Greg said they’re all amounting to memorable moments: “We’re in the business of making memories. That’s what we do in all of our businesses. If you think about the common theme, there really isn’t anything you leave with except maybe a full stomach full of popcorn.”
