Regal Germantown closed while Montgomery County leaders slept at the switch (Photos)

Regal Cinemas has closed at 20000 Century Boulevard in Germantown. The closure, which was first reported by The MoCo Show, is a significant blow to the development and success of Germantown Town Center. The theater is likely to be replaced by yet another residential building. Yes, it may have retail or restaurant tenants in the ground floor (or, like others in the area, it might not), but neither outcome will produce the general activity level of a cineplex. In a relatively-high-crime area like Germantown, the last thing in the world you want is a large, dead, dark space after business hours.

The closure is also bad news for the surrounding businesses. A study last decade found that a multiplex theater draws an additional 20,000 people to a neighborhood each weekend, who shop and dine at nearby establishments before and after their movie. "Dinner and a movie" is such a generator of economic activity - not to mention one of the most popular weekend activities of many Americans - that some restaurants will even partner with theaters to offer special packages. 

It's sad that it came down to this. When this theater opened as a Hoyts Cinema around the turn of the century, it stood out for awhile in a county where most theaters were aging or had closed altogether, and the odds of finding a hole in your seat cushion at many were quite good. But in recent years as a Regal Cinemas, the failure to convert to the latest theater standards such as recliners could be seen as the writing on the wall. 

The reality is that the potential cash value of the land as a mixed-use development site exceeded whatever Regal would realistically be able to pay in rent over the coming years. And as in the demise of Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10, the Montgomery County Council was asleep at the switch, despite it being known for months that this economic engine of Germantown Town Center was in danger of being switched off, with no replacement. 

It should be noted that Topgolf, the only other significant entertainment option in the Town Center neighborhood, is in financial distress at the corporate level. Parent company Topgolf Calloway has declared its intention to spin off the Topgolf business into a separate entity. As a result, there's no ironclad guarantee that Topgolf will be around forever in Germantown. BlackRock Center for the Arts isn't enough to sustain a viable Town Center economy on its own. Where is the leadership? Somebody reach for the smelling salts.