For Marcuses, it’s the year of the movie

If your first or last name is Marcus or you’re 100 years old, you’ve got a free ticket to the movies.

Anyone who fits either of these criteria can get into any Loews theater in the country free for a limited time. It began Friday as a marketing touch to celebrate the May 7 birthday of the late Marcus Loew, who opened some of the world’s first movie theaters about a century ago.

His birthday previews the centennial of the company he co-founded on Nov. 14, 1904, the People’s Vaudeville Co. Now called Loews Cineplex Entertainment, it’s America’s oldest movie theater chain and the world’s fourth largest, with 3,300 screens in the United States, Spain, Korea and Mexico.

The freebies last through May 13 if your name is Marcus. If you’re 100, the films are free until year’s end. And if you’re 100, you might remember when movie tickets cost about a nickel -- in 1905 -- compared with Loews’ current high of $10.25 in New York.