Steve
Marcus is chairman and CEO of the Milwaukee-based Marcus
Corp., which currently operates 493 screens at 47 sites
throughout the Midwest. He also just began a 2-year
term as NATO’s chairman.
What about you would most surprise the majority of your
fellow exhibitors?
That I have a peanut butter and jelly picnic lunch on the
floor of my office with my grandchildren.
What’s
the best thing about living in Wisconsin?
Summer.
Leaving
aside family members, who was your first role model?
Harry Truman.
What
would you wish for if a djinn offered to grant one wish
(assuming
you couldn’t wish for more wishes)?
An end to terrorism in the world.
What
would you be if you weren’t a cinema operator?
Professional golfer.
Who is your favorite filmmaker and why?
Spielberg. Because of his enormous range.
What
was your favorite movie last year?
“Harry Potter.”
Which movie or movies are you most looking forward to?
More “Harry Potters” and “Spider-men.”
Who is the most talented actor most people have never
heard of?
John McGivern.
Which book would you most want to see adapted into a motion
picture?
“Master of the Senate.”
Which TV show do you hate to miss?
“Meet the Press.”
What’s
your favorite movie theatre in which you and/or your
partners have absolutely no investment?
Muvico in Boca Raton, Fla.
Which sacred cow would you most like to barbecue?
That movies can succeed only if released in summer or winter
holidays.
What’s
the best thing about running a cinema company?
The fact that we’re constantly exposing the public
to new ideas while entertaining them.
What’s
the worst?
The threat of overbuilding.
What do you wish someone had told you earlier?
Stop and smell the roses – life is not a “dress
rehearsal.”
What was the single best piece of advice you ever got?
That the people in any organization are its most important
and valuable asset. 
