Marcus 1Q profit up on hotel, movie theater units - Forbes

MILWAUKEE --

Marcus Corp.'s fiscal first-quarter net income climbed 25 percent, helped by better performances from its hotel and movie theater divisions.

The lodging and entertainment company earned $12.5 million, or 42 cents per share, for the period ended Aug. 25. That's up from $10 million, or 34 cents per share, a year ago.

Revenue increased 9 percent to $123.9 million from $114 million.

President and CEO Gregory Marcus said in a statement that a strong slate of films including "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" and "The Hangover Part II" drove Marcus Theatres quarterly revenue up 8 percent.

The company is confident in its fall and holiday movie offerings, which include "Moneyball," "Footloose," "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" and "The Muppets."

At Marcus Hotels & Resorts, revenue rose 9.8 percent in the quarter. Revenue per available room, a key gauge of a lodging company's health, climbed 9.8 percent mostly because of a 6.4 percent increase in the average daily rate.

Marcus said that occupancy has been steadily increasing for more than a year and was encouraged by the higher rate, but said the unit is still not back to pre-recession levels.

Marcus Corp. is based in Milwaukee.

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