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But the Bethesda Row Cinema is increasingly out-of-date, with its failure to upgrade to recliners and other amenities and standards expected by moviegoers in 2025.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.
8 comments:
One challenge to the removal of the theater is that most of the auditoriums are under the existing five story mixed-use office over retail building. It’s not likely that Federal Realty would demo that building. The only part of the block zoned for a 250’ tall building is the triangular parking deck portion. I suppose a new tower on that corner could replace the very tall theater section under the office potion with two stories of parking. It would indeed be a shame to loose the theater, especially with the new Capital Crescent Civic Green coming soon right next door. A theater facing the civic green would be a nice way to animate the public space.
7:27: I believe the plan actually is to demolish the building - it's just a question of when Federal Realty thinks the time and market are right. They argued strongly for greater height in the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan. At the time, they specifically noted that they could not add more floors to the existing building because the theater is underneath.
The combination of those two assertions - wanting more height, and not being able to get it without demolishing the current structure - suggests to me that the building will be replaced.
Of course, accommodations could be made for a new theater in the base of the new building, but that's up to Federal Realty. We're in a weird time of "movie theaters are on the way out" but headlines of "another blockbuster box office weekend for Hollywood."
My bad. I checked the allowable zoning height for that block allows a narrow strip of 145' height fronting on Bethesda Avenue, and 250' height for the remaining triangular parking deck portion. So with 24' of extra height allows with 25% MPDU, the could build up to a 169' tall building along Bethesda Avenue, rising to a 274' high building on the east end. That would sure be a big change to the look and feel of Bethesda Row! A building that big would likely require five levels of underground parking, so yes, the theaters would be toast. This would be by far the largest and tallest building by Federal Realty, so I'm not sure something this scale is in their wheelhouse, as they tend to build stuff that supports their mission, that being street level retail and shopping centers. Very tall high rises, not so much.
Opps, I meant to say the frontage along Woodmont Avenue can be up to 145’ tall, or 169’ with 255 MPDU’s.
From what once was a great cinema to a necessary enema.
All movie theaters are having trouble surviving. Building new large multiscreen theaters doesn't make financial sense.
With so many folks having huge flat screen TVs, and great Dolby surround sound systems, and the home streaming of 4K movies, the experience of going to a movie theater has surely been diminished. Yes I still enjoy the fun of the crowd, but sticky floors, expensive popcorn and people talking during movies, not so much.
The decline in theaters has been happening for decades now. Just look at the thriving strip of theaters in Friendship Heights and Tenleytown in the late 20th Century - 7 theaters with 23 screens between them - now all gone:
-Mazza Gallerie (3 screens, later 7 screens)
-Jenifer I & II
-K-B Cinema (1 screen)
-Outer Circle 1-2
-K-B Studio 1-2-3
-Tenley Circle Theatre (2 screens)
-Cineplex Odeon Wisconsin Avenue 6
Nowadays the only reason to see a movie in a cinema rather than a home theater is for the special effects. This has lead to overreliance on "blockbusters" as Robert Dyer calls them, which are typically just series of "comic book" sequels, prequels and remakes, targeting primarily teens or younger. Which in turn further alienates audiences for all other types of movies.
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