Tony
Kerasotes is president and CEO of Chicago-based Kerasotes
Theatres. Founded in 1909, the circuit ranks as one of
the nation’s 10 largest with 540 screens at 77 sites.
What about you would most surprise the majority of your
fellow exhibitors?
That I have lemon trees.
What’s
the best thing about living in Chicago?
The restaurants.
Leaving aside family members, who was your
first role model?
Richard Nixon.
What would you
wish for if a djinn offered to grant one wish (assuming
you couldn’t
wish for more wishes)?
A thousand virgins.
What would you
be if you weren’t
a cinema operator?
An investment banker.
Who is your favorite filmmaker and why?
Ridley Scott – It’s obvious.
What was your favorite movie last year?
“Spider-Man.”
Which movie or movies are you most looking forward to?
“The Matrix Revolutions.”
Who is the most talented actor most people have never
heard of?
I’m not into the obscure.
Which book would you most like to see adapted into a motion
picture?
“The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt” and “Theodore
Rex.”
Which TV show do you hate to miss?
“Biography.”
What’s
your favorite movie theatre in which you and/or your
partners have absolutely no
investment?
The Catalina, in Tucson.
Which sacred cow would you most like to barbecue?
I didn’t know there were any left.
What’s
the best thing about running a cinema company?
Working with a good team.
What’s
the worst?
It’s all good.
What do you wish someone had told you earlier?
That everyone is crazy.
What was the single best piece of advice you ever got?
That everything that goes around comes around. 
