Movie Theater To Anchor Rock Spring Centre Development

A 12-screen boutique movie theater is planned for the set to break ground in Bethesda this summer. The theater is slated to open in spring of 2014, according to a statement released Tuesday by developers DRI and the Peterson Companies.

The news was first reported in Bethesda Magazine's Shop Talk blog.

Rock Spring Centre, a one million square foot mixed-used development, was approved by the county planners last February. Along with the cinema, plans call for two office towers totaling nearly 550,000 square feet, 210,000 square feet of retail space, a 40,000 square foot health club, a 200-room hotel and 161 residential units.

The development is planned for a plot of land on Rock Spring Drive across from

The 50,000 sqaure foot theater will feature "independent and foreign films as well as blockbusters" in a "luxurious" atmosphere, complete with a full-service cafe for appetizers, entrees and desserts and a cocktail lounge.

Silverspot is a division of South American theater company Cines Unidos. When it opens, the Bethesda location will mark the third Silverspot theater in the U.S., according to the statement.

What do you think of the plans for the new cinema? Does Bethesda need another movie theater? Tell us in the comments.