As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 24, 2023

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

THE MACERICH COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

401 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 700

Santa Monica, California 90401

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

The Macerich Company

Eligible Directors’ Deferred Compensation/Phantom Stock Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Thomas E. O’Hern

Chief Executive Officer

The Macerich Company

401 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 700

Santa Monica, California 90401

(310) 394-6000

(Name and address of agent for service; telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Ettore A. Santucci, Esq.

David H. Roberts, Esq.

Goodwin Procter LLP

100 Northern Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts 02210

Tel: (617) 570-1000

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Macerich Company (the “Company”) previously filed (i) a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on January 24, 1996 (File No. 333-00584) and (ii) a Registration Statement on Form S-8 with the Commission on August 14, 2009 (File No. 333-161371) (together, the “Original Filings”) in connection with The Macerich Company Eligible Directors’ Deferred Compensation/Phantom Stock Plan (as amended and restated, the “Plan”). This Registration Statement registers additional shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”), to be issued pursuant to the Plan. The contents of the Original Filings, as updated by the information set forth below, are incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement pursuant to General Instruction E of Form S-8.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof:

Any statement contained herein or in a document, all or a portion of which is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or amended, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 8. Exhibits.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Santa Monica, State of California, on this 24th day of February, 2023.

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POWER OF ATTORNEY

We, the undersigned directors and officers of The Macerich Company, and each of us, do hereby constitute and appoint Thomas E. O’Hern, Edward C. Coppola, Scott W. Kingsmore and Ann C. Menard, or any one of them, our true and lawful attorneys and agents, each with power of substitution, to do any and all acts and things in our name and on our behalf in our capacities as directors and officers and to execute any and all instruments for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below, which said attorneys and agents, or any one of them, may deem necessary or advisable to enable said corporation to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, in connection with this Registration Statement, including specifically but without limitation, the power and authority to sign for us and any of us in our names in the capacities indicated below, any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) hereto; and we do hereby ratify and confirm all that the said attorneys and agents, or their substitute or substitutes, or any one of them, shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

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Exhibit 5.1

February 24, 2023

The Macerich Company

401 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 700

Santa Monica, California 90401

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have served as Maryland counsel to The Macerich Company, a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), in connection with certain matters of Maryland law arising out of the registration by the Company of an additional 150,000 shares (the “Shares”) of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”), issuable under The Macerich Company Eligible Directors’ Deferred Compensation/Phantom Stock Plan, as amended and restated effective as of January 1, 2023 (the “Plan”). The Shares are covered by the above-referenced Registration Statement, and all amendments thereto (the “Registration Statement”), filed by the Company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”).

In connection with our representation of the Company, and as a basis for the opinion hereinafter set forth, we have examined originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following documents (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Documents”):

1. The Registration Statement;

2. The charter of the Company (the “Charter”), certified by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland (the “SDAT”);

3. The Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company, certified as of the date hereof by an officer of the Company;

4. A certificate of the SDAT as to the good standing of the Company, dated as of a recent date;

5. Resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company, and its Compensation Committee, relating to, among other matters, the approval of the Plan and the issuance of the Shares (the “Resolutions”), certified as of the date hereof by an officer of the Company;

The Macerich Company

February 24, 2023

Page 2

6. The Plan, certified as of the date hereof by an officer of the Company;

7. A certificate executed by an officer of the Company, dated as of the date hereof; and

8. Such other documents and matters as we have deemed necessary or appropriate to express the opinion set forth below, subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein.

In expressing the opinion set forth below, we have assumed the following:

1. Each individual executing any of the Documents, whether on behalf of such individual or another person, is legally competent to do so.

2. Each individual executing any of the Documents on behalf of a party (other than the Company) is duly authorized to do so.

3. Each of the parties (other than the Company) executing any of the Documents has duly and validly executed and delivered each of the Documents to which such party is a signatory, and such party’s obligations set forth therein are legal, valid and binding and are enforceable in accordance with all stated terms.

4. All Documents submitted to us as originals are authentic. The form and content of all Documents submitted to us as unexecuted drafts do not differ in any respect relevant to this opinion from the form and content of such Documents as executed and delivered. All Documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies conform to the original documents. All signatures on all Documents are genuine. All public records reviewed or relied upon by us or on our behalf are true and complete. All representations, warranties, statements and information contained in the Documents are true and complete. There has been no oral or written modification of or amendment to any of the Documents, and there has been no waiver of any provision of any of the Documents, by action or omission of the parties or otherwise.

5. The Shares will not be issued or transferred in violation of any restriction or limitation on ownership and transfer contained in the Plan or in Article EIGHTH of the Charter.

The Macerich Company

February 24, 2023

Page 3

Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein, it is our opinion that:

1. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Maryland and is in good standing with the SDAT.

2. The issuance of the Shares has been duly authorized and, when and to the extent issued in accordance with the Registration Statement, the Resolutions and the Plan, the Shares will be (assuming that, upon issuance, the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding will not exceed the total number of shares of Common Stock that the Company is then authorized to issue under the Charter) validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

The foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the State of Maryland and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any other law. We express no opinion as to the applicability or effect of federal or state securities laws, including the securities laws of the State of Maryland. To the extent that any matter as to which our opinion is expressed herein would be governed by the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Maryland, we do not express any opinion on such matter. The opinion expressed herein is subject to the effect of any judicial decision which may permit the introduction of parol evidence to modify the terms or the interpretation of agreements.

The opinion expressed herein is limited to the matters specifically set forth herein and no other opinion shall be inferred beyond the matters expressly stated. We assume no obligation to supplement this opinion if any applicable law changes after the date hereof or if we become aware of any fact that might change the opinion expressed herein after the date hereof.

This opinion is being furnished to you for submission to the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the 1933 Act.

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the use of our reports dated February 24, 2023, with respect to the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule III of The Macerich Company, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, incorporated herein by reference.

EXHIBIT 107

Calculation of Filing Fee Tables

Form S-8

(Form Type)

The Macerich Company

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Table 1: Newly Registered Securities