General - Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2022	Apr. 01, 2021
Numerator:
Net loss attributable to The Marcus Corporation	$ (14,902)	$ (28,130)
Denominator:
Denominator for basic EPS (in shares)	31,445	31,196
Effect of dilutive employee stock options (in shares)	0	0
Effect of convertible notes (in shares)	0	0
Denominator for diluted EPS (in shares)	31,445	31,196
Common Stock
Net loss per share - basic:
Common Stock (in dollars per share)	$ (0.48)	$ (0.93)
Net loss per share - diluted:
Common Stock (in dollars per share)	(0.48)	(0.93)
Class B Common Stock
Net loss per share - basic:
Common Stock (in dollars per share)	(0.44)	(0.80)
Net loss per share - diluted:
Common Stock (in dollars per share)	$ (0.44)	$ (0.80)