Regal Cinemas Rockville to close

Theater is one of 39 that parent company is closing amid bankruptcy

January 19, 2023 11:10 p.m.

This article was updated at 10:47 a.m. Jan. 20 with additional details.

Regal Cinemas’ Rockville Center Stadium 13 is slated to close, according to U.S. bankruptcy filings by its parent company, Cineworld.

Cineworld, which filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September, plans to shutter 39 of its theaters this year, exiting leases starting Feb. 15, according to Business Insider. Regal, the nation’s second-largest theater chain, says the move would aid its effort to save $22 million a year and that it aims to work with its remaining landlords to maintain other theaters.

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“The debtors are hopeful that these negotiations will lead to lease concessions and modifications that will obviate the need for rejection and enable additional theater sites to remain open,” Cineworld said in the filing, Business Insider reported.

Reached for comment Friday morning by Bethesda Beat, an employee at the Rockville location said the management there was not yet releasing a statement. The closing date is unclear.

The news was met with regret among community members, who lamented on social media that the closure was “so sad” and represented “the end of an era.” A patron concerned about the needs of older adults emailed Bethesda Beat to say the Regal, at 199 E Montgomery Ave., has been “the only place seniors can go” that’s close to some complexes.

Other regional theaters slated to close are Gallery Place Stadium 14 in Washington, D.C., and Bowie Stadium 14 in Prince George’s County.

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