There is currently no mainstream cineplex in Bethesda, a rare phenomenon for a town of this size. The failure of the Montgomery County Council to mandate a replacement cineplex in the Apex Building Minor Master Plan Amendment - a power it held, but chose not to use - was compounded by the recent demise of both the ArcLight Cinemas at Montgomery Mall, and the closure of the AMC Mazza Gallerie. Now moviegoers in search of the latest blockbusters must travel afar - and those other towns and jurisdictions gain the dinner and shopping dollars Bethesda businesses lose in the process.
One occasional exception is the rare comic book film screening at the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema, a new experiment since the closure of the Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 at the Apex up the street. This has brought Wonder Woman, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to screens there so far. The experiment continues this weekend, with Venom: Let There Be Carnage. One reason may be that all three films feature actors who have appeared in films targeted to the sophisticated cinephile demographic.
The rest of the screens continue to show arthouse movies, the original focus of the two Landmark theaters in the D.C. area. One original element that hasn't been maintained is the lighted clock sign for the Bethesda Row Cinema; it remains dark over Mon Ami Gabi on Woodmont Avenue.
It will be interesting to see if the D.C. City Council presses for a replacement cineplex for the AMC when Mazza Gallerie and other adjacent buildings there are redeveloped in the coming years. A study early last decade showed that a mainstream cineplex showing blockbuster movies draws an additional 20,000 people to a neighborhood each weekend, who would otherwise go elsewhere.
