The Smithsonian museums in Washington have a monopoly on the region’s large, awesome theater screens. It’s a shame, then, that the Airbus Theater in Virginia is so lacking as a movie theater.

Fortunately, the Smithsonian’s other IMAX blockbuster movie theater, the Samuel C. Johnson IMAX Theater in the National Museum of Natural History, is a vastly superior cineplex.

Crucially, Johnson features a concession stand. Really, what’s a movie theater without awful, greasy popcorn and carbonated drinks?

The prices at Johnson are a bit out of whack. Soda and popcorn are only in small sizes but cost about as much as in other movie theaters. This is mitigated by the sheer classiness of the junk food served.

Popcorn is good if a little stale but, more importantly, comes in a jaunty, retro-chic box. The novelty is easily worth the reduction in quantity.

Alcohol is also available, should the need to pre-game Transformers in IMAX arise.

The monolithic IMAX screen at the heart of the theater is about as big, if not bigger, than the one in Airbus. The sound system is just as deafening. The projector system, however, is capable of presenting 3-D movies, expanding the range of movies capable of being presented.

There are really only two, maybe three, major problems with the theater. Why is the theater named after Samuel C. Johnson when the opportunity to name an IMAX theater after Samuel L. Jackson was staring the theater operators in the face? Sure, Samuel Johnson might’ve donated some stuff to the Smithsonian, but c’mon.

OK, so there are only two issues with the theater that aren’t completely vacuous. Johnson, puzzlingly, shows mainly second-run IMAX movies. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol came to the theater about a month after it opened at Airbus Theater. Ditto for Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Johnson is also ridiculously unfriendly to people who enjoy polluting the environment, i.e. drivers. Parking is scarce and expensive, and traffic is generally awful.

But, if you’re willing to abandon your hedonist ways and hop on the Metro, Johnson becomes a much better experience. The theater is within spitting distance of stops on all major lines of the Metro.

Tickets: Regular – $15

Popcorn: $3

Bottled soda: $3

Transportation: Limited

parking available along the street. Within walking distance of Smithsonian, Archives-Navy Memorial and Gallery Place Metro stations.

chzang@umdbk.com