Wehrenberg Theatres embraces its history in the St. Louis area in a montage of historical photos that runs on screen before the start of each movie and ends with its name, Wehrenberg, whispered three times.

“We think very highly of Wehrenberg, and we respect the history of the family-led company,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said Marcus’ executives had been in discussions about a potential sale with privately held Wehrenberg for several years.

Wehrenberg Theatres notified employees in 2007 that it was exploring a possible sale, but a deal never materialized.

Ron Krueger’s son, Ronald Krueger II, was a senior executive at Wehrenberg until 2008 but joined a competitor, New Orleans-based Southern Theatres, the following year. He’s now president and CEO of Southern.

Wehrenberg Theatres’ largest competitor in the St. Louis area is AMC Theatres, which has eight local movie theaters. Leawood, Kan.-based AMC was acquired by China’s Dalian Wanda Group Co. in 2012.