Doctor Strange merchandise at ArcLight Cinemas in Bethesda (Photos)

The big movie release this weekend is Marvel's Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. ArcLight Cinemas' lobby gift shop in Bethesda has three tie-in products for the good doctor - a lunchbox, mugs, and sets of tumblers. Strange-ly, the lobby poster wall is featuring the Harry Potter prequel, not Doctor Strange.

ArcLight Cinemas to host family event today, R-rated "Batman" screening Monday

ArcLight Cinemas at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda will host an Ice Age-themed event for families today from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Kids can enjoy games, prizes and enter a contest to win an Ice Age: Collision Course prize pack. You can also share your pictures from the event on social media with the hashtag #ArcLightFamFun.

For a decidedly more adult event, order tickets now for a one-night only screening of the new, R-rated Batman: The Killing Joke. This will be the first R-rated Batman movie to get an official theatrical release, and also an equally-rare theatrical release for a DC Comics animated film. The movie will show at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM this Monday, July 25.

Batman v Superman takeover at ArcLight Cinemas in Bethesda (Photos)

ArcLight Cinemas is literally wall-to-wall Batman v Superman right now. Last week I told you about the special character-themed cocktails from the movie available at the bar. 

But there is also a special souvenir glass ($12) you can keep if you order a draft beer. Check out their massive poster wall in the lobby, and a treasure trove of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman merchandise available in the lobby gift shop. 

You can click here to watch my review of the Man in Blue cocktail at the bar, and of the movie itself.

Batman v Superman: I'll drink to that at ArcLight Cinemas Bethesda

Another blockbuster brings another blockbuster cocktail menu from the bar at ArcLight Cinemas in Bethesda. The theater in Westfield Montgomery Mall is among the few in town that allow you to partake of adult beverages, and often has a special selection of themed drinks tied to major releases.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is among the candidates for blockbuster of the year, and the question of #WhoWillWin this epic battle is being hotly debated on the internet and around office water coolers.

You can pick sides by picking the cocktail representing your hero, or be like Switzerland and try all three. Just don't plan to drive home if you do so, or you may be caught by the local heroes of Montgomery's Finest.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens cocktails and lobby takeover at ArcLight Cinemas in Bethesda (Photos)

We are less than two weeks from the opening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and there's no chance of ignoring that fact in the barrage of publicity and marketing surrounding the film. You certainly can't ignore it in the lobby of ArcLight Cinemas in Bethesda's Westfield Montgomery Mall.

When you enter the 16-screen cineplex, you can't miss the floor-to-ceiling image of Kylo Ren and his infamous crossguard lightsaber on the Image Wall.

But wait, there's more. Try one of their Star Wars-inspired cocktails, if you can muscle Greedo aside at the theater's lobby bar.

Tickets are almost sold out for the 7:00 PM showtime on December 17. The remaining seats are down in the front rows below the screen.

Bethesda's Hollywood connections to be explored at ArcLight Cinemas in August

Bethesda and Hollywood have some deep connections that go way back. The earliest story I can remember, was when the great Clark Gable sent a telegram to the Boro Theater on Wisconsin Avenue on its Opening Night in 1938, offering his congratulations.

In August, ArcLight Cinemas and Bethesda Magazine are going to provide a month-long exploration of Bethesda residents who went on to success in Tinseltown. "Bethesda to Hollywood" will celebrate actors, directors and writers who started in our town.

Screen a different film each Sunday in August at 7:15 PM, beginning on August 2. The lineup includes one of my favorites, Airplane, starring Bethesda-born Robert Hays. Other films will be Where the Wild Things Are and Her from Spike Jonze; The Change Up from David Dobkin; and Seabiscuit, based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand.

You can order tickets online now.

Another cool thing at ArcLight happening sooner, is this weekend's free Pac-Man Arcade, tied to the release of Pixels, Saturday and Sunday starting at 1:00 PM.

ArcLight Cinemas is located in Westfield Montgomery Mall.

Livestream w/Michael Douglas & Jeremy Irvine at ArcLight Cinemas Thursday in Bethesda

Actors Michael Douglas and Jeremy Irvine will participate in livestream Q&A following the 7:00 PM showing of their new film, Beyond the Reach, this Thursday, April 16, at ArcLight Cinemas in Bethesda. The Q&A will be streamed live from Hollywood. Beyond the Reach is an R-rated remake of a 1974 ABC Movie of the Week, which starred Andy Griffith in the Douglas role.

The movie is a take on The Most Dangerous Game. But in this case, Douglas' tycoon only becomes the hunter after accidentally shooting a man on a desert expedition. His hunting guide, played by Irvine, is the only witness.

You can watch the movie's official trailer here. Tickets for the 7:00 Thursday showing are on-sale now, and available online.

ArcLight Cinemas is located in Westfield Montgomery Mall.

Photo courtesy Roadside Attractions

SEE IT FIRST: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY AT ARCLIGHT CINEMAS TONIGHT iN BETHESDA - SHOWTIMES AND SPECIALS

A great many girls-night-out and Valentine's Day dates this weekend will involve the movie Fifty Shades of Grey. Those who can't wait that long will want to head to the 8:00 PM showing tonight at ArcLight Cinemas at Westfield Montgomery Mall. There will be several other screening of the film there tonight, as well. You can see all showtimes and ticket availability for tonight here.

The theater is going all-out with Fifty Shades-themed cocktails available at the bar in the lobby (you can also bring them into the movie):

·        Mr. Grey, earl-grey infused Hendricks gin, lemon, ginger syrup and bitters

·        Red Room, white rum, triple sec, Chambord, pinapple and cranberry

·        Lip Bitter, vodka, sparking wine, peach schnapps

·        Curious, Woodford reserve, apple spice, bitters

They will also offer chocolate-covered strawberries and Champagne. One other bonus for those on dates: no ads blasting prior to the movie at this theater.

LIVESTREAM Q&A WITH OPRAH, DAVID OYELOWO AT SELMA SCREENING TODAY AT ARCLIGHT BETHESDA

Whether you've seen Selma, have been waiting to see it, or are just a fan of Oprah - who produced and played Annie Lee Cooper in the civil rights biopic - you may want to attend a special screening of the film this afternoon at 5:00 PM, at ArcLight Cinemas in Westfield Montgomery Mall.

Oprah Winfrey and star David Oyelowo will join the theater audience live via streaming video after the film for a Q&A session. The session will begin immediately following the conclusion of the movie.

Tickets are available online now.

Image via ArcLight Cinemas

NEW BETHESDA MOVIE THEATERS TAKE THEIR BATTLE UNDERGROUND (PHOTOS)

ArcLight Cinemas and iPic Theaters are doing battle daily in the northern part of Bethesda, at Westfield Montgomery Mall and Pike & Rose, respectively. Both are state-of-the-art theaters (although ArcLight features double the number of screens) commanding a higher ticket price than the cineplexes of old. But they are also squaring off underneath the streets of downtown Bethesda for the wealthier demographic there, with dueling ads in the Bethesda Metro station tunnel.

WINNER IN ARCLIGHT CINEMAS CONTEST!

After a random drawing among entrants in last week's contest to win 2 free tickets to the new ArcLight Cinemas at Westfield Montgomery Mall, the winner is:

Douglas Fellner!

Follow Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row on Facebook for future contests, and to get breaking Bethesda news in your Facebook feed.

WIN TICKETS TO ARCLIGHT CINEMAS, CELEBRATE HOLIDAYS WITH CLASSIC CHRISTMAS FILMS

The holiday season wouldn't be complete without holiday films. What better way to celebrate during your holiday shopping at Westfield Montgomery Mall, than to catch a classic Christmas movie at the new ArcLight Cinemas? How about with a pair of free passes to ArcLight Cinemas?

You could win 2 passes by following these easy rules:

1. "Like" my Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Facebook page.

2. Share my Facebook page with your Facebook friends by clicking the "Share" button next to the "Follow" button on my Facebook page.

3. After you've done that, post the name of your all-time favorite Christmas movie on my Facebook page.

4. One winner will be drawn at random after the conclusion of the contest.

Contest ends at 12:00 AM EST, Wednesday morning, December 10, 2014. Contest open to residents of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia only. 

Good luck!

Now about those Christmas movies at ArcLight...

They'll be screening a wide variety of Christmas-themed films throughout the month; here is a schedule:

Love Actually - Tonight (December 2) at 7:15 PM

White Christmas - December 7 at 7:15 PM

Scrooged - December 9 at 7:15 PM

Die Hard - December 11 at 7:15 PM

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - December 14 at 7:15 PM

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000/Jim Carrey) - December 16 at 7:30 PM

Order tickets online for these showings now.

Happy Holidays from Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row!

HUNGER GAMES TAKES OVER LOBBY AT ARCLIGHT CINEMAS IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

ArcLight Cinemas' famous lobby wall of screens is now touting the new Hunger Games sequel, Mockingjay - Part I, on a grand scale. Check it out yourself at Westfield Montgomery Mall.

ARCLIGHT CINEMAS BETHESDA OPENS TODAY (VIDEO)

Today is the official grand opening of the new 16-screen Arclight Cinemas at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. You may have attended already during the cineplex's "soft opening" over the last couple of weeks. If so, please post a comment on your experience below.

If you haven't gone, it's not too late to order tickets. Curious about what ArcLight has to offer compared to other theaters within driving distance? Watch my video review for a preview of the ArcLight experience, and hear about the concept and dining options directly from ArcLight employees themselves. See the largest-screen auditorium, learn some technical specs, and hear about the brand's selling points - like no advertising before the movie!

Interstellar is the big movie there this weekend, as well as Big Hero 6 - which is not a sequel, despite the title.

ARCLIGHT CINEMAS BETHESDA PREVIEW TOUR (PHOTOS)

I returned to the new ArcLight Cinemas yesterday for a sneak preview of Westfield Montgomery's 16-screen cineplex, and have brought back plenty of photos (stay tuned for video). Obviously, the lobby wall of screens is what grabs your attention the most upon entering, and that real estate is currently promoting the highly-anticipated Interstellar, which starts showing on November 4 at ArcLight. I also sampled some of the food you can enjoy from the lobby's cafe, and their signature caramel corn. The latter is made on-site every day, and is more like taffy than the cheaper, "spray-on" caramel corn you might buy at the grocery store. Having said that, I'm a purist who enjoys the flavor and aroma of movie theater popcorn, preferably with extra butter. That aroma was in the air when I came in the door of the lobby, making this movie buff feel instantly at home.

Extra butter for me

Chris Nolan's Interstellar dominates
the lobby at the moment

This is just plain impressive

Showtimes

Light fixtures and a screen
"curtain" accent the upscale
feel of the lobby

Nice

Time waits for no man - and
neither will the movie, if
you're late

There is a small area of the lobby dedicated to movie-themed gifts, including merchandise from Star Wars, Star Trek, A Christmas Story and The Wizard of Oz. You'll also find exhibit space throughout the cineplex, and yesterday, that was dedicated to stills from Christopher Nolan's Interstellar and costumes from Robin Hood and Black Swan.

Costume from Black Swan

Robin Hood - as portrayed by
comic book legend Stan Lee for
ArcLight Cinemas

About that food - my favorite so far is the Popcorn Chicken. Not to be confused with a frozen chicken product, this was fried fresh, was extremely tender and juicy, and comes with dipping sauces. I also tried a flatbread pizza which was pretty good, and a fountain-prepared Coca-Cola. There are charcuterie and cheese boards, and quite a few baked pastries for dessert.

Ready for dessert?

Croissant?

Your diet just went out
the window

Chocoholics unite

Thick brownie

"Cookies are a sometimes thing"
- Cookie Monster (yeah, right!)

Not the typical theater food

Cheese board

"I'm crackers about cheese"
- Wallace, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Popcorn chicken. Verdict?
Awesome

Just about all of your favorite
movie theater candies - plus
local Glarus chocolate bars!

The lobby's cafe

Enjoy food and cocktails
here, or take them into
the theater

Concessions

Classic or caramel corn?

Try an adult beverage

On to the theater! In this case, it was Auditorium 6. There was a demonstration of the theater's Dolby Atmos sound system, which was very impressive. During an on-screen rainstorm, the 360º speaker setup made it sound like rain was literally falling from the ceiling and landing on the theater floor.

During an advance preview of Nightcrawler later in the afternoon, that movie's unique color scheme for its stunning cinematographic views of Los Angeles was richly displayed. As several representatives of ArcLight mentioned, the chain's California locations are where directors go when they want to see their films as they were meant to be seen. That includes the black box theater concept, no crackling popcorn bags (it comes in tubs, instead) and nacho-crunching, and no texting during the movies. Ushers take more of a host role here, and forget about standing in line - there are no lines, and all seating is reserved. As I mentioned in the past, there are also no ads. You might get a bonus feature after the movie, or a very short one as one of the few previews before it - you may recall some of those ArcLight-exclusive features I have posted here on the blog in the past.

Large numbers help you quickly
locate your reserved seat

Comfortable

A test drive of the plush cloth seats found them to be very comfortable (although the running time of Interstellar should give them the ultimate test!).

Remember the movie poster
cases from the hard hat tour?

Little movie called Hunger Games

Interstellar still

Big Hero 6

Returning to the lobby
from the auditoriums

#RodStewartProblems

Go ahead and check out the movies on sale now, and be one of the first in Bethesda to experience ArcLight Cinemas' first location outside of California. Why wait until the grand opening on November 4, when you can buy tickets now for John Wick tomorrow night (October 23 at 10:00 PM), and enjoy a livestreamed Q and A with Keanu Reeves from Los Angeles after the film? Looking forward to more of those types of events here in the future.

ArcLight has set the bar high for the next generation of movie theaters in Montgomery County, and it will be interesting to see how iPic Theaters will stack up at Pike and Rose up the road.

But first let me
take a selfie