Marcus Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year Results
Earnings From Continuing Operations Increase Over Prior Year

Company Press Release
July 21, 2000
MILWAUKEE, WI -- The Marcus Corporation (NYSE:MCS) yesterday reported increased revenues and earnings from continuing operations for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended May 25, 2000.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2000, total revenues were $86,718,000, a 5.9% increase from revenues of $81,861,000 for the same period in the prior year. Earnings from continuing operations were $2,918,000 or $0.10 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2000, up 38.0% from earnings from continuing operations of $2,115,000 or $0.07 per diluted share for the comparable prior period. Net earnings were $2,983,000 or $0.10 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2000, compared to net earnings of $2,551,000 or $0.09 per diluted share for the same period in the prior year. Continuing operations include The Marcus Corporation's limited-service lodging, theatre, and hotels and resorts divisions. The company has announced plans to sell its KFC restaurant operation, which has been classified as a discontinued business in accordance with current accounting pronouncements.

For fiscal 2000, total revenues rose 4.8% to $352,118,000 from revenues of $335,999,000 in the prior year. Earnings from continuing operations were $21,238,000 or $0.71 per diluted share in fiscal 2000, up 1.3% from earnings from continuing operations of $20,958,000 or $0.70 per diluted share in fiscal 1999. Net earnings for fiscal 2000, which include discontinued operations, were $22,622,000 or $0.76 per diluted share, compared to net earnings of $23,144,000 or $0.77 per diluted share in fiscal 1999.

Operating income before depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2000 was $19,173,000, a 17.7% increase from EBITDA of $16,290,000 for the prior year. During fiscal 2000, EBITDA rose 3.3% to $88,546,000 from EBITDA of $85,710,000 in fiscal 1999.

``We are pleased with the progress we made during the fourth quarter, with revenues and operating income increasing in all three divisions. Baymont Inns & Suites achieved its second straight quarter of increased earnings. Marcus Hotels and Resorts had a very strong performance. Results for Marcus Theatres improved even though the movies during the quarter were not exceptional,'' said Stephen H. Marcus, chairman and chief executive officer of The Marcus Corporation.

``We are also gratified with the increase in earnings from continuing operations during fiscal 2000. After two consecutive years of lower earnings, we are very encouraged by the improvements made this year. Baymont's results are trending upward, our hotels and resorts division continues to excel, and our theatre division continues to outperform its peer group in a challenging industry environment,'' said Marcus.

Marcus said Baymont Inns & Suites' 7% increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR) exceeded the industry average for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2000, compared to the same quarter a year ago. ``The biggest driver behind the improvement of Baymont is an increase in the average daily rate as we move from the economy lodging segment into the mid-price segment. The highly popular lobby breakfast and the re-imaging of our exteriors are two key components of the success of the Baymont brand. We will continue to re-position Baymont during the coming year as we work to build a brand that is the best in its class,'' said Marcus.

Baymont ended the fiscal year with 171 properties, 95 company-owned and 76 franchised, compared to 164 properties at the end of fiscal 1999. A total of 27 properties are currently in development or under construction, 26 franchised and one company-owned.

Marcus Hotels and Resorts had an excellent fourth quarter and year, led by significantly improved performance at the Miramonte Resort in Indian Wells, Calif. Marcus also said the 175 guest room addition to the Hilton Milwaukee City Center opened shortly after the end of the fiscal year and the new indoor water park is scheduled to open prior to Labor Day. ``In fiscal 2001, we will begin to see a return on this major investment,'' said Marcus.

Marcus said the first 18 vacation ownership units at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa are now open and sales are going well. Construction continues on the Hilton Madison at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis., which is scheduled to open in Spring 2001. ``In late May 2000, we purchased the Hotel Phillips in Kansas City, Mo. This landmark property will soon close for an extensive renovation and restoration,'' he said.

Marcus Theatres reported increased operating income for the fourth quarter in spite of lower box office and concession revenues. ``The improvement in profitability reflects our continuing focus on controlling costs and the fact that in the fourth quarter of the year we did not have the high film costs and additional operating expenses of Star Wars that we had in the fourth quarter last year,'' said Marcus.

``We are pleased that we outperformed the industry for the year, but overall, motion picture exhibitors continue to suffer from a lack of popular broad-appeal movies from Hollywood. We are encouraged by the recent performance of movies such as The Perfect Storm, The Patriot, Scary Movie, and X-Men, although they have not performed as well as the strong slate last summer,'' Marcus said.

He noted that Marcus Theatres added 42 screens in fiscal 2000 to bring its total to 470, a 9.8% increase. ``Currently, 77% of our first-run auditoriums have been converted to stadium seating and digital sound, which is the highest percentage in the industry,'' Marcus added.

Marcus said the company repurchased 271,000 shares of its common stock in the fourth quarter, increasing the total shares purchased in fiscal 2000 to 528,000. An authorization to repurchase an additional 2,000,000 shares was announced in late June 2000. ``We continue to believe that our stock is undervalued by the market and that repurchasing our shares is a good investment for the company,'' said Marcus.

Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., The Marcus Corporation is comprised of four divisions: limited-service lodging, movie theatres, hotels/resorts and restaurants. The company currently operates or franchises 171 Baymont Inns & Suites in 30 states, and a total of seven Woodfield Suites in Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado, Ohio and Texas; 487 movie screens in Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois and Minnesota, and one family entertainment center in Wisconsin; three hotels and a resort in Wisconsin, one hotel and a resort in California, one hotel in Minnesota and one hotel in Missouri; and 27 KFC and 3 KFC/Taco Bell 2-in-1 restaurants in Wisconsin. For more information, visit the company's website at www.marcuscorp.com.

Certain matters discussed in this press release are ``forward-looking statements'' intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may generally be identified as such because the context of such statements will include words such as the Company ``believes,'' ``anticipates,'' ``expects'' or words of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals are also forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the following: (i) the Company's ability to identify properties to acquire, develop and/or manage and continuing availability of funds for such development; (ii) the Company's ability to attract potential partners to assist in the acquisition and/or development of properties; (iii) the limited-service lodging division's ability to attract and retain quality franchise operators and to effectively execute its Baymont repositioning strategy; (iv) continuing consumer demand as a result of general economic conditions with respect to the hotels and resorts and limited-service lodging divisions; (v) continuing availability, in terms of both quality and quantity, of films for the theatre division; and (vi) competitive conditions in the markets served by the Company. Shareholders, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

                        THE MARCUS CORPORATION
            Consolidated Statements of Earnings (Unaudited)
                 (in thousands, except per share data)

                        13 Weeks Ended            52 Weeks Ended
                        --------------            --------------
                   May 25, 2000 May 27, 1999 May 25, 2000 May 27, 1999
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
                   (Unaudited)  (Unaudited)  (Unaudited)

Revenues:
 Rooms and
 telephone.........$     43,727 $     43,098 $    170,597 $   173,305
 Theatre
 admissions........      16,900       17,044       81,637      74,011
 Theatre
 concessions.......       7,281        7,678       36,482      33,413
 Food and
 beverage..........       6,428        6,211       26,614      25,075
 Other income......      12,382        7,830       36,788      30,195
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
Total revenues.....      86,718       81,861      352,118     335,999

Costs and expenses:
 Rooms and
 telephone.........      18,582       17,980       71,238      70,117
 Theatre
 operations........      13,332       14,213       63,999      58,150
 Theatre
 concessions.......       1,894        2,062        8,887       8,419
 Food and beverage.       4,990        4,896       20,363      19,446
 Advertising and
 marketing.........       7,767        7,216       25,969      24,535
 Administrative....      10,361       10,094       39,654      37,134
 Depreciation and
 amortization......      10,636        9,290       40,458      37,205
 Rent..............         844          883        2,954       2,853
 Property taxes....       3,735        3,611       14,066      13,498
 Pre-opening
 expenses..........         316          318        1,004       1,769
 Other operating
 expenses..........       5,724        4,298       15,438      14,368
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
Total costs and
expenses...........      78,181       74,861      304,030     287,494
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

Operating income...       8,537        7,000       48,088      48,505

Other income
(expense):
 Investment income.         520          235        1,453         783
 Interest expense..      (4,516)      (4,611)     (17,975)    (16,846)
 Gain on
 disposition of
 property and
 equipment.........         387        1,136        4,266       2,754
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ -----------
                         (3,609)      (3,240)     (12,256)    (13,309)
Earnings from
continuing
operations
before income
taxes..............       4,928        3,760       35,832      35,196
Income taxes.......       2,010        1,645       14,594      14,238
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
Earnings from
continuing
operations.........       2,918        2,115       21,238      20,958

Discontinued
operations:
 Income from
 discontinued
 operations, net of
 applicable income
 taxes.............          65          433        1,384       1,982
 Gain on disposal
 of discontinued
 operations, net of
 applicable income
 taxes.............          --            3           --         204
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
Net earnings.......$      2,983 $      2,551 $     22,622 $    23,144
                   ============ ============ ============ ============

Earnings per share
- Basic and Diluted:
 Continuing
 operations........$       0.10 $       0.07 $       0.71 $      0.70
 Discontinued
 operations........$       0.00 $       0.02 $       0.05 $      0.07
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
 Net earnings per
 share.............$       0.10 $       0.09 $       0.76 $      0.77
                   ============ ============ ============ ============

Weighted Ave.
Shares Outstanding:
 Basic.............      29,550       29,919       29,796      30,005
 Diluted...........      29,567       29,960       29,828      30,105


                        THE MARCUS CORPORATION
                 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
                            (in thousands)

                                 (Unaudited)
                                May 25, 2000              May 27, 1999
                                ------------              ------------

Assets:
 Cash and cash
 equivalents................... $      2,935              $     3,499
 Accounts and notes
 receivables...................       14,376                   12,798
 Refundable income
 taxes.........................        3,020                    6,041
 Other current
 assets........................        8,064                    4,400
 Property and
 equipment - net...............      658,317                  611,213
 Other assets..................       37,064                   38,165
                                ------------              ------------
Total Assets................... $    723,776              $   676,116
                                ============              ============


Liabilities and Shareholders'
 Equity:
 Accounts and notes payable.... $     28,691              $    27,437
 Taxes other than income taxes.       11,219                    9,575
 Other current liabilities.....       14,333                   11,904
 Current maturities of
 long-term debt................       16,228                   10,470
 Long-term debt................      286,344                  264,270
 Deferred income taxes.........       32,602                   31,405
 Deferred compensation and
 other.........................        9,112                    7,481
 Shareholders' equity..........      325,247                  313,574
                                ------------              ------------
Total Liabilities and
Shareholders' Equity........... $    723,776              $   676,116
                                ============              ============



                        THE MARCUS CORPORATION
                     Business Segment Information
                            (in thousands)

                   Limited-
                   Service               Hotels/ Corporate
                   Lodging    Theatres   Resorts     Items       Total
2000 (Unaudited)
Revenues          $ 138,183  $ 122,254  $ 89,854   $ 1,827   $ 352,118
Operating
income (loss)        20,993     22,007    10,806    (5,718)     48,088
Depreciation &
amortization         19,041     11,696     7,962     1,759      40,458

1999
Revenues          $ 141,577  $ 111,249  $ 81,169   $ 2,004   $ 335,999
Operating
income (loss)        25,509     20,395     8,103    (5,502)     48,505
Depreciation &
amortization         18,922      9,505     7,369     1,409      37,205


Corporate items include amounts not allocable to the business segments. Corporate revenues consist principally of rent and the corporate operating loss includes general corporate expenses.


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Contact:
Marcus Corporation
Douglas A. Neis, 414/905-1100