The Final Credits Roll: Germantown’s Regal Cinemas Shuts Down

December 6, 2024 – By Harry Lichtman

Back in March 2023, I wrote a little piece for Moderately Moco about Lakeforest Mall closing
after 45 years. Today I will be writing about another well-known MoCo business closing: the
Regal Cinemas in Germantown.

When I heard that the property where the Regal Germantown 14 once stood had been sold, it
didn’t sound good for the future of the movie theater. It wasn’t my main theater that I went to,
but I did go there occasionally. The Regal that I’ve mainly gone to is the one in Rockville.
I’ve always been a fan of movies, so going to movie theaters has been a main highlight of my
life. Even in this age of streaming, nothing beats the theatrical experience for me. I always enjoy
watching films on the biggest screen with the loudest sound, along with smelling popcorn and
seeing all the posters and lobby displays.

My aunt and her family live in Germantown near the theater, so my family would sometimes
meet up with them to see a movie. The first film I saw at that Regal was the live action Scooby-
Doo in the summer of 2002, back when the theater was operated by Hoyt’s. I vaguely remember
when the arcade games were on the upper level before they eventually moved downstairs.
The last time I went to the Regal in Germantown was Christmas Day 2018 when my family and
relatives all saw Mary Poppins Returns. Since then, I’ve heard the theater basically became a
ghost town, and more people preferred the AMC at Rio in Gaithersburg or the Regal in
Frederick.

This past Thursday, I had lunch at Red Robin and then walked over to the now-closed Regal to
pay my respects. I feel bad for the community in Germantown who is left without a movie
theater, for now at least. But I’ll always cherish the memories I had going to that one in
particular.