The Montgomery County Council declined to require the eventual developer at 7272 Wisconsin Avenue to provide a replacement cineplex, which kneecapped dinner-and-a-movie business at downtown Bethesda restaurants. A study showed a cineplex showing mainstream blockbusters (Landmark Bethesda Row shows arthouse independent films, not the blockbusters) can draw an average of 20,000 additional people to a downtown area per weekend.
18 comments:
Nice paver repair work at the new light poles...
I was reading recently that the big block-buster theaters are being put into many Latino neighborhoods.
Maya Cinemas. "Opening in locations with a high concentration of Latinos that the company believes are "underserved" by other theater companies, Maya's theaters offer Hollywood first-run movies alongside a limited number of Spanish-language movies,"
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/maya-cinemas-bets-building-underserved-latino-markets-will-grow-business-1187664
Our rapidly changing city!
When all the MS-13 Gangbangers come from Langley Park when the Purple Line opens, Bethesda will finally get the cineplex that she needs and deserves!
Why not post a link to that mythical theater article. It sounds like it would be an interesting and applicable article to read, and many on this site would like to understand the benefits of an urban movie theater. I have searched the internet but can not find anything like you have described. Perhaps you can help.
That theater was in Towson Town Center.
"A popular area high school teacher was murdered on one of the garage's upper levels in 2005, leading some to worry that the crime in inner-city Baltimore was gaining a stronger foothold in the suburbs. After the murder, several reports of mugging as well as muggers with guns led to several security upgrades. On December 19, 2011, a man was shot and killed outside a service entrance to Nordstrom. The man's 4 alleged assailants have been arrested. On April 23, 2012, a man and woman were robbed at gunpoint by 3 men in one of mall's parking garages. The robbers remain at large.
"On January 24, 2013 a man stole $35,050 worth of merchandise from the Louis Vuitton store.
"A cell phone video in December 2015 showed police at the scene of a disruption at the mall. Teenagers threw rocks at police officers. This has resulted in a permanent curfew for residents under the age of 17 from entering the mall after 5:00 P.M. on Fridays and Saturdays without an adult present with them."
I am moving to Russia, it is nicer there than Bethesda.
They had a Louis Vuitton store? Dang.
Didn't I see recently that Towson TC was getting a bowling/food/arcade place?
Perhaps this is the article in the Baltimore Sun that indicated that the new Cinemark theater near Towson Town Center could bring 800,000 people each year to the area, benefiting area retailers and restaurants. That would be an average of about 15,000 per week, but not 20,000 per weekend as Robert has stated. This would still prove to be a great benefit to the area.
Is this the article you are referring to Robert?
https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-towson-circle-20120127-story.html
Dyer really has no idea what he is talking about on this subject. Dyer, if you really want to do a credible story with support on the topic of a cineplex, do a better job of investigating. Have you talked to any of the real estate development people at any movie theatre chain (AMC, Regal, Cinemark). Have you spoken to real estate developers? Have you looked at development studies of downtown Bethesda compared with other areas that can accommodate the Parking. Have you reviewed facts regarding Regal’s Profitability at the Bethesda location. These are just some of many questions.
The theater was not Towson - the study was about the economic benefit of cineplexes, and was cited during the effort to redevelop part of Towson.
If the study is no longer available online, that is not my fault. But I read it at the time, and cited the study in my testimony before the Planning Board and Council, urging them to recognize that a replacement cineplex was a must to preserve the downtown Bethesda economy. I was ignored, and the study was ignored.
And now we see the resulting shuttered restaurants and hundreds of empty parking spaces in the garages around Bethesda Row.
Heckuva job, Brownie!
8:06: Are you calling for a revival of the Council's infamous "loitering while black" crackdown & curfew in Silver Spring? Joe Biden would probably approve.
8:19: Not nicer, but they handle elections identically.
I believe that Towson Town Center has massive free parking that supports the mall and adjacent multiplex movie theater. Just like the free parking at the Arclight Cinema at Montgomery Mall.
This is what I see as the big stumbling block for an urban cinema in downtown Bethesda. The cost to build a huge parking deck as part of the new cinema, either below or above grade, and offer spaces for free to movie patrons, would surely put any new urban movie theater at a disadvantage compare to Arclight. To rely on existing paid parking options in existing county decks, lots or street space seems problematic.
Of course if a movie theater could rely on the use of existing shared parking with an office building, you might have a chance. That is why I am pulling for a new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema that could be part of the JBG Smith owned project at 7200 Wisconsin. The small existing office building and large parking lot north of the 7200 Building, and south of the Wilson, could be a perfect site for such a theatre and share the massive existing parking under the 7200 Building that could be easily expanded unde a grade level cinema. JBG Smith is building an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on a very similar site in Crystal City.
A nice tall office or apartment tower could be built above the new cinema, up to 250’ tall, and also share the existing underutilized parking deck in the off-hours when the offices are not active, like evenings and weekends, perfect for a cinema and apartments.
Correlation is not causation
Comrade Dyer I would ask you to move to Russia for a year and tell me your thoughts. It clearly is the superior choice in all things.
Where would a theater go at 7272 Wisconsin? A cinema requirement for would be very onerous for any project, but especially 7272. The Purple Line and CCT occupy a lot of the below grade space, forcing most of the parking above ground. There's no way a modern multiplex would have been feasible on that site.
The free market should decide where a theater should go, not the county council. I'm sure everyone would consider the Arclight at Montgomery Mall an improvement over the the Regal. Plus, as you know, there are many eating options at the mall.
Looking at the big picture, a theater is a suspect long-term investment anyway. Yes, they're doing okay at the moment thanks to the never-ending string of Marvel and DC films, but they're starting to face stiff competition from streaming. If the market collapses in 10 years, building owners will be stuck with tens of thousands of practically useless vacant square feet.
6:18: In reality, Carr Properties showed exactly where the theater would have gone - below grade, until it was removed from the plans.
ArcLight is newer than Regal was, but it's not within walking distance of downtown Bethesda or its restaurants.
There is no free-market solution for the theater, because even though a theater would be massively profitable, it wouldn't be as profitable for the *property owner* as for the theater owner. It's more costly from a construction standpoint, and more difficult to repurpose once dedicated to theater space.
How do you see movies going out of vogue in ten years? The picture and sound quality is getting better and better, the seats are more comfortable, and "4-D" experiences are being introduced by some chains.
Do you anticipate that people will stop dating, or be willing to wait 6 months to see the top movies? What is streaming that matches Avengers: Endgame or Black Panther financially?
Streaming services don't even have objective ratings to tell us how many people are really watching a particular film or show.
Kentlands is bringing in a brand new theater, The Boro in Tysons has brand new luxury theater as its anchor, Regal renovated their silver spring theater, Rio just totally renovated their theater.
Sounds like theaters are doing just fine in the surrounding towns.
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