File this under “awesome local news”.

Guess what fellow Marylanders? We’re about to get a VERY awesome movie theater.

The ArcLight Cinema chain, based primarily in California has decided to start expanding, and it’s first major expansion will be to the Westfiend Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Maryland.

The ArcLight is a premium movie theater chain which mixes blockbusters, indie flicks and classics along with programing including filmmaker Q&A’s and other celebrations of the world of film.  Chances are, if you’re a Doug Loves Movies listener, you’ve heard of the chain before and you are as excited as I am.

What makes the ArcLight so unique is how they treasure the movie going experience. They offer reserved seating in theaters (yes, you can PICK YOUR SEATS), 21+ screenings, screenings without commercials (I assume trailers stay on), and yes, a full bar.  Of course, tickets cost a bit more for this type of experience, but I think we can all agree, it might just be worth it.

This is part of a planned national expansion for ArcLight, but it’s nice to see Maryland become a hotbed for quality movie going experiences. We already have the Charles Theatre, Senator Theater and the Landmark Harbor East theaters, plus the AFI theater in Silver Spring, and the Alamo Drafthouse theater just a bit south in VA, so it’s truly a great time to be a movie nerd here in MD.

Source: /Film.