General - Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 25, 2020	Jun. 27, 2019	Jun. 25, 2020	Jun. 27, 2019
Numerator:
Net earnings (loss) attributable to The Marcus Corporation	$ (27,029)	$ 18,066	$ (46,381)	$ 19,926
Denominator:
Denominator for basic EPS	31,061	30,897	31,018	30,390
Effect of dilutive employee stock options		504		558
Denominator for diluted EPS	31,061	31,401	31,018	30,948
Common Stock [Member]
Net earnings (loss) per share - basic:
Common Stock	$ (0.89)	$ 0.60	$ (1.53)	$ 0.68
Net earnings (loss) per share - diluted:
Common Stock	(0.89)	0.58	(1.53)	0.64
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Net earnings (loss) per share - basic:
Common Stock	(0.81)	0.54	(1.39)	0.59
Net earnings (loss) per share - diluted:
Common Stock	$ (0.81)	$ 0.54	$ (1.39)	$ 0.59