Fantastic Four: First Steps photo booth at Bethesda Row (Photos)

A rare promotional display for the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema has been placed on the public plaza across Woodmont Avenue from the movie theater. Tied to today's opening of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the photo booth features a clear window with a backdrop, and comic book cover iconography superimposed on the window. When you step inside, you enter the cover of a comic book, and can have someone outside photograph it for posterity. 

Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema renovations begin (Photos)

One top item on the wish list of regulars at Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema is now being granted. A major renovation and update of the cineplex has begun. While the theater was brought up to the standards of the time over a decade ago, it failed to join rival chains in moving into the latest generation of theater amenities, which include recliners and more extensive dining operations. This was likely because Landmark has faced many financial challenges in recent years, which included a tense period last year in which some or all of its locations faced liquidation at auction after the company's principal reneged on a massive loan. While many Landmark theaters did close, Bethesda was one of the lucky survivors.

The expensive renovations now underway suggest that the Bethesda Row Cinema is here to stay for many years to come. Its current lease expires in 2027, and there's no way the company would sink this much money into remodeling if it planned to walk away in less than 24 months. Likewise, while Federal Realty had the option of demolishing the building that holds the theater in 2027, the renovations of the cineplex and neighbor Mon Ami Gabi - and the imminent arrival of new tenant Sephora on the other side of the building - indicate that the landlord now has no intention of doing that in the near future, either.

What will the renovation project add to the Bethesda Row Cinema? First and foremost: recliners! Yes! An expanded food and cocktail operation, with updated seating - and more of it on both levels. That seating is reminiscent of the lobby bar areas at AMC Theatres. Speaking of influences from other theater chains, does anyone else get ArcLight Cinema vibes from the proposed train station-style clocks shown in the renderings? Landmark says each of the theaters it is renovating across the country will get "historically inspired" design touches in the lobby. Could this be a reference to the railroad that once passed by the property that is now occupied by the theater? 

Also planned is a new "gaming area." What's that? There's no rendering of it, so we have to assume an arcade a la Regal Cinemas in Rockville. Finally, outdoors we will be getting a new LED marquee. This perhaps explains why Landmark was seemingly in no rush to fix the existing one, and did not express concern when the Mon Ami Gabi expansion architecture blocked the view of the current marquee from Woodmont Avenue. Still no IMAX, but that's understandable, as that would require a much taller auditorium that really needs to be part of the design when a theater is first built.

Some questions remain unanswered. For example, the rendering of the new lobby area shows seating taking up both sides. Where will the ticket machines be located? And new menus and bar updates are not likely to be announced until the renovations are closer to completion. They're just getting started right now, but the theater remains open for business.

The renovations are a welcome development. Not only are the recliners long overdue, but the theater has experienced some water infiltration, which one reader reported had soaked some of the seats in at least one auditorium this past week. And now that this is the only remaining movie theater in downtown Bethesda, the contemporary upgrades are essential to support the expectations of the mainstream moviegoer. Most importantly, we couldn't afford to lose this theater now, as it's the only game in town. The renovations make clear that nightmare scenario is unlikely to occur anytime soon. Deadline reported that it's not public information as to whether landlord Federal Realty is picking up some of the costs of the renovation, but whoever is investing in it is making a wise move for the future of Bethesda Row.

E Street Cinema closes in Washington, D.C. (Photos)

The Landmark E Street Cinema has closed at 555 11th Street NW in Washington, D.C. While the permanent closure had been announced by the struggling cinema chain a few weeks ago, the theater closed sooner than expected, prior to some final screenings for which tickets had been sold in advance. The Prince of Petworth reports that Landmark did issue refunds to those ticketholders, who had hoped to catch the very last showings. However, as of this writing, it appears that the Polish Film Festival screenings scheduled for March 4-6 are still on, so you could still get that last E Street experience in (the March 7-9 screenings will be held at the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema.).

Inside the lobby Monday night, ticket machines bore blank screens or repair messages, and their front compartment doors hung open, internal wires spilling forth. Print-out paper rolls lay on the beige and brown tiles in front of them. Customers were being directed by signs to the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema, and the Atlantic Plumbing Cinema on V Street NW. E Street patrons should also check out the monthly Cinema Art Bethesda screenings of foreign and independent films at the Bethesda Row location.

Mon Ami Gabi expansion may block view of Bethesda Row Cinema marquee (Photos)

The expansion of Mon Ami Gabi into the adjacent former Häagen-Dazs space at Bethesda Row may have an unintended consequence for next door neighbor Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema. An awning now being attached over the extended outdoor dining area appears to block the view of the animated theater marquee screen that displays the films currently showing. The theater is rather far back from Woodmont Avenue, but the marquee display was previously viewable from the street and sidewalk. There don't appear to be any other downsides to the French restaurant's expansion - there will be more seating inside and out at the popular establishment, and the significant investment by Mon Ami Gabi suggests the building is going to be around for many more years into the future, despite the theater's lease expiration pending for 2027.

View from Woodmont Avenue

Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema spared at auction

The future of Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema is that it still has a future, at least for now. No bidder for the Landmark theater chain emerged at a liquidation auction that was ordered by its creditor, Fortress, after Landmark defaulted on its $534 million dollar loan. That means all Landmark theaters remain in the hands of real estate mogul Charles Cohen as of today, and that the immediate threat of closure or liquidation has passed. But the decline of the chain under Cohen's direction remains an ongoing cloud over the business, as the pending closure of Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas in San Diego after tonight's final screenings reminds us.

The shuttering of the Landmark theater in San Diego is the fifth for the chain since Cohen acquired it. As I reported last August, Landmark has increasingly supplanted the arthouse and foreign fare it was known for with mainstream blockbusters since the pandemic. That hasn't been all bad news in the case of the Bethesda Row Cinema, as downtown Bethesda lost the Regal Bethesda 10 cineplex when the Montgomery County Council declined to require its return in the new development at 7272 Wisconsin Avenue.

But the Bethesda Row Cinema is increasingly out-of-date, with its failure to upgrade to recliners and other amenities and standards expected by moviegoers in 2025. And it is facing the end of its lease in 2027, when Bethesda Row property owner Federal Realty will have the option to demolish the current building that houses the theater, and redevelop the site with a taller and denser one. As we saw with 7272 Wisconsin, the spacial dimensions required by a multiscreen theater are significant, and many developers would rather fill that space with additional tenants at higher rents than a theater chain can afford. 

At the same time, a study conducted for Towson, Maryland, about a decade ago showed that a cineplex showing mainstream blockbusters draws an additional 20,000 people to the neighborhood it is located in per weekend. The loss of Regal was evident in the reduction of foot traffic in Bethesda, and the thousands of once-filled parking spaces that now sit empty in the garages near the Regal's former site even during prime dinner hours. While Landmark has begun showing blockbuster movies, it lacks the number of screens and amenities to compete with newer or upgraded theaters. Restaurant and retail proprietors in downtown Bethesda have a vested interest in ensuring that Bethesda has a cineplex in its future.

Landmark Theatres, owner of Bethesda Row Cinema, facing Nov. 8 foreclosure auction

Landmark Theatres, which owns the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema at 7235 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, could be under new ownership - or fade into cinema history altogether - if an agreement between parent company Cohen Realty Enterprises and creditor Fortress Investment Group cannot be reached before November 8, 2024. A New York State Supreme Court Judge set the date after CRE defaulted on a $543 million loan. The Landmark chain was among the collateral CRE put up for the loan.

Deadline reports that an agreement to restructure the loan before the November 8 auction is "unlikely [but] not out of the question." Industry insiders are noting many of the issues that cinemagoers in Bethesda have in recent years. Landmark shifted its programming away from its solid diet of arthouse and foreign films during the pandemic, IndieWire reports, because the virus impacted the older moviegoers those films attracted. But when the government declared the pandemic to be "over," Landmark found that bigger chains - who had more screens - had begun to muscle into the indie film market to fill the vacuum. Ironically, it was the larger struggles of the movie industry after 2019 that left more screens available for alternative programming at big cineplexes, such as indie films or Hollywood gems from the past.

Film distributors are also dissatisfied with the failure of Landmark to implement the amenities and more-lavish recliner seating the major chains now provide moviegoers, another reason they might choose an alternative chain to screen their films. IndieWire is optimistic that Landmark's more-profitable locations would be snapped up by other chains. One presumes Bethesda might be on that list, but the financial health of the Bethesda location is not public information.

But, speaking of "deadline," Landmark's lease for the Bethesda Row Cinema was said to expire in 2027, the last time property owner Federal Realty publicly commented on it in 2016. At that time, Federal Realty informed the Montgomery County Planning Board that it would have the option to redevelop the building that houses the Bethesda Row Cinema. Cohen Realty Enterprises acquired the Landmark chain two years later, and by all accounts, has fumbled the ball since. Four Landmark theaters have closed, including its flagship Westside Los Angeles theater, since CRE took ownership of the chain, Deadline reports.

The Montgomery County Council's deliberate choice to not require a replacement cineplex when the Apex Building was torn down continues to haunt downtown Bethesda. Foot traffic in downtown Bethesda plunged after the demolition of Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10, and the Council's disastrous "Nighttime Economy" initiative and policy decisions that cratered nightlife in the County after 2012. Now downtown Bethesda faces the possibility of having no movie theater at all.

Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema signage still in need of work (Photos)

The Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema movie theater is already hidden behind the Purple Line construction site at the corner of Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues. But its long-malfunctioning signs aren't helping draw attention as much as they could if fully-operational. Parts of the vertical sign that face traffic on Woodmont Avenue don't light up, and the most the marquee could manage on a recent evening was "Now." Previously, the digital marquee would cycle through the current list of titles being screened.

Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema signage glitching (Photos)

The signage at the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema was either glitching last night, or someone was attempting to communicate with us from the great beyond. Instead of movie titles on the electronic marquee above the entrance, there was a distorted barrage of pixels. The clock and arrow sign out on Woodmont Avenue was dark.  

Air movie to screen at Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema

Air, a film about Nike's pursuit of basketball star Michael Jordan, will play at Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema at 7235 Woodmont Avenue when its theatrical run begins on April 5, 2023. While the movie will be of great interest to fans of the basketball legend, Jordan himself is not portrayed by an actor in the film, which was directed by Ben Affleck. Starring alongside Affleck are Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina and Viola Davis. Air is an Amazon Studios release, but will run exclusively in theaters before it premieres on Amazon's Prime Video service.

All the Old Knives advance screening at Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema tonight

See the new spy thriller All the Old Knives before everyone else tonight, April 5, 2022 at 7:00 PM, at the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema. Based on the novel by Olen Steinhauer, the movie features an all-star cast of Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton, Laurence Fishburne and Jonathan Pryce. Seating tonight will be first-come, first-served. RSVP online here. 

The movie officially opens Friday at the theater, and streaming on Amazon Prime Video the same day. Running time is 101 minutes, and the film is rated R. The advance screening is sponsored by the International Spy Museum.

Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema sign lights up again on Woodmont Avenue (Photos)

The vertical sign with pointing arrow directing patrons to the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema on Woodmont Avenue is now lit at night again. It was dark during the pandemic closure of the theater, and its eventual reopening. Alas, now the marquee has gone out, not displaying the current movie titles being shown at the theater. One upcoming and highly-anticipated title is displayed on a poster outside the theater, The Batman.

Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema marquee lights up for first time in over a year

The marquee outside the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema was lit for the first time in over a year. Theatergoers were greeted by flatscreens sporting a "Welcome back" message, as they made their way to the lobby escalators to descend to the concessions and auditorium area. 

Landmark is operating under CinemaSafe coronavirus protocols. Masks are required under the Montgomery County indoor mask mandate. While Bethesda is one of the few towns of its size in America to not have a single mainstream cineplex, Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema at least gives movie buffs a chance to enjoy high-quality, arthouse films in the neighborhood in an upscale theater, after more than a year of dark screens.

Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema preparing for reopening

Workers at the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema at 7235 Woodmont Avenue were scurrying about Tuesday, preparing for the theater's eagerly-awaited reopening this Friday, August 13, 2021. The marquee was still dark, but the ticket purchasing machines in the lobby had been activated. They were displaying movies that will be showing, including Stillwater, The Green Knight, Annette, Swan Song, Coda and Respect.

Movie theater aficionados like me will find it interesting that cartons of popping oil for the popcorn arrived yesterday, their shipping boxes stacked and waiting to be moved downstairs to the concessions area. Now it can be told: they use Odell's Classic Blend, if you want to attempt to recreate those wonderful flavors and aromas at home.

Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema movie posters frozen in time (Photos)

Montgomery County movie theaters remain shuttered a year after the pandemic officially began. Outside the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema on Woodmont Avenue, posters for the last films screened there remain on display. If you saw Emma, Hope Gap or Downhill in the final days of movie-going before the lockdown, could you have imagined it was the last movie you'd see in a theater for over a year?

Documentary on 9/11 first responders coping with PTSD to screen in Bethesda Feb. 15

A new documentary focusing on the struggles first responders to the 9/11 terror attacks have with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will screen on Thursday, February 15, 2018 at 7:00 PM, at the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema. Corridor Four follows the challenges Isaac Ho’opi’i confronts follwing that tragic event, and his attempts to overcome them with the support of his family, and his love of Hawaiian music. A Q&A with the filmmakers will follow the screening.

Tickets are available online. The 81-minute film is not rated, but some material may be inappropriate for children under the age of 13.

Beauty and the Beast soup pot at Le Creuset at Bethesda Row (Photos)

Disney's live-action update of Beauty and the Beast begins showing today at the Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema. For ultimate fans, Le Creuset at 7116 Bethesda Lane is offering a limited-edition Beauty and the Beast soup pot. They also have posted several recipes inspired by the film on their website.

" BELLE " DIRECTOR TO APPEAR AT BETHESDA ROW CINEMA ON SUNDAY

Belle, a historical drama opening today at Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema, is generating a lot of buzz among movie critics. The film was inspired by an intriguing painting that led its director to research the history behind it. Based on a true story, the movie gives viewers a glimpse into the issue of slavery from a British perspective, and what impact a free black woman with aristocratic lineage may have had in a society where emancipation had not yet occurred.

Director Amma Asante will answer audience questions after the 1:30 PM showing this Sunday (May 11) at Bethesda Row Cinema, something I would like to see happen more frequently at the theater. So take advantage of the opportunity, long before Oscar buzz begins in earnest. You can order tickets for the 1:30 screening online now. To get some background, you can read Asante's letter to filmgoers, posted on Landmark Theatres' website.

Belle stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Dido Elizabeth Belle, and also features Tom Wilkinson and Sarah Gadon.

Belle (PG)

Running time: 103 minutes

Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema

7235 Woodmont Avenue

Photo courtesy Twentieth Century Fox