Marcus (MCS) Risk Factors

Our business could be adversely impacted by increases in labor costs, including wages and benefits (which are two of our most significant costs) including those increases triggered by regulatory actions regarding wages, scheduling and benefits; increased health care and workers' compensation insurance costs; increased wages and costs of other benefits necessary to attract and retain high quality employees with the right skill sets. A constrained labor market may result in increasing levels of employee turnover, making it increasingly difficult to locate and hire sufficient numbers of employees and to train employees to deliver a consistently high-quality customer experience, which could materially harm our business and results of operations. Furthermore, we have experienced, and could continue to experience, a shortage of labor for theatres and hotels and resorts positions, which could decrease the pool of available qualified talent for key functions. Labor shortages may also result in an increased use of contractors to perform certain operations and may result in higher costs.

In each of our businesses, we experience intense competition from national, regional and local chain and franchise operations, some of which have substantially greater financial and marketing resources than we have. Most of our facilities are located in close proximity to other facilities which compete directly with ours. The motion picture exhibition industry is fragmented and highly competitive with no significant barriers to entry. Theatres operated by national and regional circuits and by small independent exhibitors compete with our theatres, particularly with respect to film licensing, attracting patrons and developing new theatre sites. Moviegoers are generally not brand conscious and often choose a theatre based on its location, its selection of films and its amenities. With respect to our hotels and resorts division, our ability to remain competitive and to attract and retain business and leisure travelers depends on our success in distinguishing the quality, value and efficiency of our lodging products and services from those offered by others. If we are unable to compete successfully in either of our divisions, this could adversely affect our results of operations.

Over the last decade, the average video release window, which represents the time that elapses from the date of a film's theatrical release to the date a film is released to other channels, including streaming services, video on-demand ("VOD") and DVD, has decreased from approximately six months to approximately 45 days and in some more limited instances, films have been immediately released to such alternative channels without any theatrical release. Some studios have created shorter premium VOD ("PVOD") windows, including a 17-day PVOD window for certain films and a 30 to 60-day PVOD window for certain more successful films. In addition, some studios have released certain films theatrically and on their proprietary streaming services on the same day and date. Although other studios have not taken this approach and several have reaffirmed their commitment to an exclusive theatrical distribution window for film releases, we can provide no assurance that these release windows, which are determined by the film studios and are subject to negotiation and acceptance by exhibitors, will not shrink further, which could have an adverse impact on our movie theatre business and results of operations. Piracy of motion pictures is prevalent in many parts of the world. Technological advances allowing the unauthorized dissemination of motion pictures increase the threat of piracy by making it easier to create, transmit and distribute high quality unauthorized copies of such motion pictures. The day and date release of films to studios' proprietary streaming services has shortened the timing for availability of high quality unauthorized copies of such motion pictures. The proliferation of unauthorized copies and piracy of motion pictures may have an adverse effect on our movie theatre business and results of operations. We face competition for movie theatre patrons from a number of alternative motion picture distribution channels, such as DVD, network, cable and satellite television, video on-demand, pay-per-view television, digital downloads and streaming services. The number of streaming services has been increasing and, in some cases, streaming services are producing theatrical-quality original content that is bypassing the theatrical release window entirely. Periodically, internet ticketing intermediaries introduce services and products with the stated intention of increasing movie-going frequency. The actual impact these services and products may have on our relationship with the customer and our results of operations is unknown at this time. We also compete with other forms of entertainment competing for our patrons' leisure time and disposable income such as concerts, amusement parks, sporting events, family and sports entertainment centers, home entertainment systems, video games and portable entertainment devices including tablet computers and smart phones. An increase in popularity of these alternative film distribution channels and competing forms of entertainment may have an adverse effect on our movie theatre business and results of operations.

The financial results of our movie theatre business and the motion picture industry in general are heavily dependent on the general audience appeal of available films, together with studio marketing, advertising and support campaigns, factors over which we have no control. The relative success of our movie theatre business will continue to be largely dependent upon the quantity and audience appeal of films made available by the movie studios and other producers. Poor performance of films, a disruption in the production of films due to events such as a strike by actors, writers or directors, or a reduction in the marketing efforts of the film distributors to promote their films could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations. In recent years our industry experienced a significant reduction in the quantity of films available to exhibit in theatres following disruptions in movie production during the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect the quantity of new film releases available for theatrical exhibition during fiscal 2024 to be negatively impacted by the shutdown of movie production during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA labor strikes that occurred during fiscal 2023. Studios may also determine that certain types of films will not be released for theatrical exhibition and will go straight to streaming services, further impacting the quantity of films available. Also, our quarterly results of operations are significantly dependent on the quantity and audience appeal of films that we exhibit during each quarter. As a result, our quarterly results may be unpredictable and somewhat volatile.

We are subject to various federal, state and local laws, regulations and administrative practices affecting our business, and we must comply with provisions regulating health and sanitation standards, equal employment, environmental, and licensing for the sale of food and alcoholic beverages. Our properties must also comply with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the "ADA"). Compliance with the ADA requires that public accommodations "reasonably accommodate" individuals with disabilities and that new construction or alterations made to "commercial facilities" conform to accessibility guidelines unless "structurally impracticable" for new construction or technically infeasible for alterations. Non-compliance with the ADA could result in the imposition of injunctive relief, fines or an award of damages to private litigants or additional capital expenditures to remedy such noncompliance. Changes in existing laws or implementation of new laws, regulations and practices could also have a significant impact on our business. For example, a significant portion of our staff level employees are part-time workers who are paid at or near the applicable minimum wage in the relevant jurisdiction. Increases in the minimum wage and implementation of reforms requiring the provision of additional benefits would increase our labor costs.

We are subject to different forms of taxation in the federal, state and local jurisdictions where we operate. Current economic and political conditions make tax rates in any jurisdiction subject to significant change. Our future effective tax rate could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in jurisdictions with differing tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, or changes in tax laws or their interpretation. In addition, the tax authorities may not agree with the determinations we have made and such disagreements could result in lengthy legal disputes and, ultimately, in the payment of additional amounts for tax, interest and penalties. If our effective tax rate were to increase, or if the ultimate determination of our taxes owed in the U.S. or any of our jurisdictions is for an amount in excess of amounts previously accrued, our operating results, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely affected.

The operation of our business depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our and our service providers' information technology systems. Our information technology systems, and those of our service providers, may become unavailable or may fail to perform as anticipated, for any reason, including cyber attacks, loss of power, or human error. Information security risks have generally increased in recent years because of the proliferation of new technologies and the increased sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyber attacks. Our and our service providers' information technology systems have experienced, and may experience in the future, cyber attacks and other security incidents, and any significant interruption in or failure of our information systems, or those of our service providers, or any breach of our or their information systems or other confidential information could disrupt our business, result in the disclosure or misuse of confidential or proprietary information, damage our reputation, expose us to litigation, increase our costs or cause losses. As cyber and other information security threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to continue to enhance our information security measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities. Additionally, the legal and regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy in the United States is constantly evolving. Violation or non-compliance with any of these laws or regulations, contractual requirements relating to data security and privacy, or with our own privacy and security policies, either intentionally or unintentionally, or through the acts of intermediaries could have a material adverse effect on our brands, reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as subject us to significant fines, litigation, losses, third-party damages and other liabilities.