The Ultimate Outdoor Movie Guide 2015
by Heidi Ran Chen
New York’s outdoor movie season is one of the many summer-in-the-city perks that tip the happiness scale from stifling, torrid subway stench back to sunshine, rainbows, and ice cream in the park. With a glut of screenings on offer, from up on rooftops to down by the waterfront, from noirs to Disney, it can get a little overwhelming parsing the many – so many – different calendars for that post-war Czech gem/French New Wave masterpiece/80’s John Hughes classic/Pixar family favorite you’ve always wanted to see al fresco.
Well (you know where this is going) we’ve got you covered. Gratis or ticketed, BYOPicnic - and, for those that like to flirt with the law, BYOAlcohol - or food service, we’ve got the low-down on Manhattan and Brooklyn’s outdoor summer movies with a comprehensive, annotated list of screenings.
Intrepid Museum Summer Movie Series
Where: Flight deck of the Intrepid Museum, Pier 86, W 46th St and 12th Ave
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-seating, picnic
Perks: waterfront, skyline and Hudson River views
Friday, May 22: Top Gun
Friday, July 9: October Sky
Thursday, July 16: Moon
Thursday, July 23: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Thursday, July 30 - Apollo 13
Thursday, August 6 - Wall-E
HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival
Where: Bryant Park Lawn, 42nd Street and 6th Avenue
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-blanket (no chairs, tarps etc. are allowed on the lawn), picnic; food vendors and park chairs surrounding the lawn available
Perks: being in a green oasis surrounded by Midtown skyscrapers; designated free bike parking area
Monday, June 22: Ghostbusters
Monday, June 29: The Killers
Monday, July 6: The Poseidon Adventure
Monday, July 13: I'm No Angel
Monday, July 20: Badlands
Monday, July 27: Footloose
Monday, August 3: Marathon Man
Monday, August 10: Desk Set
Monday, August 17: Chinatown
Monday, August 24: Back to the Future
Central Park Conservancy Film Festival
Where: Central Park, the landscape between Sheep Meadow and the 72nd Street Cross Drive (Terrace Drive)
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-blanket, picnic
Tuesday, August 25: Fame
Wednesday, August 26: The Blues Brothers
Thursday, August 27: Airplane!
Friday, August 28: Raging Bull
Saturday, August 29: Superman II
Hudson RiverFlicks, Family Fridays
Where: Hudson River Park, Pier 46 Greenwich Village, Charles Street and the Hudson River
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-seating, picnic
Perks: waterfront, Hudson River views, Hoboken views (perk?), free popcorn
Friday, July 10: SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water
Friday, July 17: The Box Trolls
Friday, July 24: Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Friday, July 31: Annie (2014)
Friday, August 7: Jumanji
Friday, August 14: Paddington
Friday, August 21: Hook
Hudson RiverFlicks, Big Hit Wednesdays
Where: Hudson River Park, Pier 63, on the Hudson River between W 22nd and W 24rd Street
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-seating, picnic
Perks: waterfront, Hudson River views, Hoboken views (perk?), free popcorn
Wednesday, July 8: The Imitation Game
Wednesday, July 15: Neighbors
Wednesday, July 22: Selma
Wednesday, July 29: St. Vincent
Wednesday, August 5: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
Wednesday, August 12: Boyhood
Wednesday, August 19: Interstellar
Summer on the Hudson Picture Show
Where: Pier 1 at 70th Street in Riverside Park South, Riverside Drive bet. 65 St. and 72 St.
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-blanket (chairs available on first come, first serve), picnic
Perks: Waterfront, Hudson River views
Wednesday, July 1: Jurassic Park
Wednesday, July 8: Edward Scissorhands
*Friday, July 10, GOHA
Wednesday, July 15: The Natural
*Friday, July 17, Queen To Play
Wednesday, July 22: The Great Gatsby
Wednesday, July 29: Beasts of the Southern Wild
Wednesday, August 5: Moonrise Kingdom
Wednesday, August 12: Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
*Part of Films on the Green movie series
Second Location:
Where: 72nd Street Track and Lawn, Riverside Park
Thursday, June 11: Hyde Park on Hudson
Thursday, July 9: Pride and Prejudice
Thursday, August 13: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Where: Various Locations, see below
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-blanket, picnic
Perks: Central Park greenery, Washington Square Park arch backdrop, la langue d’amour
Central Park, Cedar Hill
Friday, May 29, And God Created Woman
Washington Square Park
Friday, June 5, Caramel
Friday, June 12, Pepe Le Moko
Tompkins Square Park
Friday, June 19, Priceless (Hors de Prix)
Friday, June 26, Zarafa
Riverside Park, Pier I
Friday, July 10, GOHA
Friday, July 17, Queen To Play
Transmitter Park (Brooklyn)
Friday, July 24, La Derive
Friday, July 31, La Collectionneuse
Columbia University (116th St)
Thursday, Sept. 10, The Rabbi's Cat (Le Chat du Rabbin)
Where: Death Ave, 315 10th Ave, Chelsea
Cost: $88 includes food, bottle of wine or growler, screening
Details: Food, drink, screening package; a la carte service
Perks: Patio garden next to the High Line, hanging lanterns, date atmosphere
Monday, June 15th: Notorious
Monday, June 29th: Annie Hall
Monday, July 6th: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Monday, July 13th: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Monday, July 20th: The Big Lebowski
Monday, July 27th: Last Tango in Paris
Monday, August 3rd: Midnight Cowboy
Monday, August 10th: Sunset Blvd.
August 17th: Vertigo
Monday, August 24th: Roman Holiday
Monday, August 31st: Bonnie and Clyde
Monday, September 7th: 12 Angry Men
Monday, September 14th: Pulp Fiction
Monday, September 21st: Raging Bull
Monday, September 28th: The Sting
Monday, October 5th: An American Werewolf in London
Monday, October 12th: Night of the Living Dead
Monday, October 19th: Psycho
Monday, October 26th: Poltergeist
Monday, November 2nd: The Shining
Where: Various locations, see below
Cost: $15 (select shows are free)
Details: Food and drinks available for sale
Perks: rooftop and (sometimes) Manhattan skyline views, live music before screening, after party, filmmaker Q&A for select screenings
The Old American Can Factory
232 Third St. at 3rd Ave., Gowanus
Friday, Jun 12: Welcome to Leith
Friday, Jun 26: Sam Klemke’s Time Machine
Friday, July 10: Bloomin Mud Shuffle
Saturday, July 18: The Chinese Mayor
Saturday, August 8: Divine Location
Industry City
220 36th Street, Sunset Park
Perk: view of lower Manhattan skyscape and Statue of Liberty
Saturday, Jun 13: Love Comes Later: Romantic Short Films
Friday, Jun 19: New York Non-Fiction
Saturday, June 20: Dark Toons (Short Films)
Monday, June 22: Fresh Dressed
Friday, July 3: Men Go to Battle
Saturday, July 11: Romeo is Bleeding
Friday, July 24: {The And} Game Live Experience
Saturday, July 25: First Comes Love: Romantic Short Films
Friday, August 7: All We Have Is Now
Saturday, August 15: Finders Keepers
Tuesday, August 18: Digging For Fire
Saturday, August 22: Rooftop Shots (Closing Night)
Solar One
24-20 FDR Drive, Service Road East at 23rd Street and the East River
Perks: on the pier, waterfront views, solar-powered
Tuesday, June 16: Sixteen Candles
Thursday, June 25: Frances Ha
Tuesday, June 30: Bridesmaids
Elevated Acre
55 Water St., Financial District (near Coenties Slip)
Wednesday, June 17: High Jinks (Short Films)
RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL: Pier 15, East River Esplanade, Financial District
Tuesday, June 23: Krai
RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL: Liberty Plaza, 28 Liberty Street, Financial District
Wednesday, June 24: Render and Ritornello
The Roof of Trilok Fusion Center for the Arts
143 Waverly Ave., Clinton Hill
Thursday, July 2: It Seemed So Real (Documentary Shorts)
MetroTech Commons
5 MetroTech Center, Downtown brooklyn
Friday, July 17: A Night With Khalik Allah
Thursday, August 6: Bikes vs. Cars
Where: YOTEL New York, 570 10th Ave
Cost: $15 for GA, $25 includes seating and some food and drink
Details: Food and drink service
Perks: Beautiful Manhattan rooftop view, headphones and blankets available, themed cocktails
Wednesday June 3: Top Gun
Sunday June 7: Ghostbusters
Monday June 8: Manhattan
Tuesday June 9: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Wednesday June 10: Birdman
Sunday June 14: The Goonies
Monday June 15: The Usual Suspects
Tuesday June 16: Dirty Dancing
Wednesday June 17: Labyrinth
Sunday June 21: Back to the Future
Monday 22: The Breakfast Club
Tuesday 23: Casablanca
Wednesday 24: Amelie
Sunday 28: The Big Lebowski
Monday 29: Time Out New York pick!
Tuesday 30: Pretty Woman
Where: 321 E 73rd Street, Rooftop of the Czech Center New York, at the Bohemian National Hall (between 1st and 2nd Avenue)
Cost: $10
Details: Seating provided
Perks: Manhattan rooftop views, culture
Tuesday, July 2: Gypsy/ Cigan
Tuesday, July 9: The House/ Dom
Tuesday, July 16: Innocence /Nevinnost
Tuesday, July 23: Don’t Stop
Tuesday, July 30: Made in Ash/ Až do města Aš
Tuesday, August 6: Hops Pickers/ Starci na chmelu
Tuesday, August 13: Closely Watched Trains/ Ostře sledované vlaky
Tuesday, August 20: Cutting it Short/ Postřižiny
Tuesday, August 27: I Served the King of England / Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále
Where: Columbus Park, Baxter St, Mulberry St, Bayard St and Park, Chinatown
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-blanket
Friday, June 26: The Last Dragon
Carl Schurz Park
Where: Carl Schurz Park, 1483 York Avenue, basketball court
Cost: Free
Detail: BYO-blanket, picnic
Perks: free snow cones (at Frozen), free popcorn
Tuesday, July 28: Frozen
Tuesday, August 11: Adam's Rib
103 Street Community Garden (New York Restoration Project)
Where: 103rd Street Community Garden, 105 East 103rd St, East Harlem
Cost: Free
Perks: Free hot popcorn
Tuesday, July 11: All Dogs goto Heaven
August 11th: Flight of the Navigator
Swindler Cove (New York Restoration Project)
Where: Swindler Cove at Sherman Creek, 10 Ave. bet. Academy St. and the Harlem River
Cost: Free
Tuesday, August 25: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
Tony Dapolito Recreation Center
Where: 1 Clarkson St, Greenwich Village
Cost: Free
Tuesday, July 14: Forbidden Planet
Tuesday, July 21: Ghostbusters
Tuesday, July 28: Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan
Tuesday, August 4: Casablanca
Tuesday, August 11: Grease
Tuesday, August 18: Roman Holiday
Tuesday, August 25: Dream Girls
Mad 46 Rooftop Lounge at The Roosevelt Hotel
Where: 19th Floor of The Roosevelt Hotel, Madison Avenue at 46th St, Manhattan
Cost: $20 Minimum food & beverage spend for those seated for movie night; no minimum for standing patrons
Details: Food and drink service
Perks: Lofty Manhattan rooftop views, swank
Tuesday, June 23: Jack
Tuesday, July 14: American Hustle
Tuesday, July 28: Sex In The City
Tuesday, August 11: Anchor Man
Tuesday, August 25: Ghostbusters
Tuesday, September 15: Goonies
Where: McCarren Park Ballfields, corner of Bedford Avenue and North 12th St, Williamsburg, next to the tennis courts
Cost: Free
Details: BYOPicnic, seating
Perks: hipsters, proximity to Williamsburg bar scene (Turkey’s Nest, the Charleston, Berry Park)
Wednesday, July 8: Clueless
Wednesday, July 15: Wet Hot American Summer
Wednesday, July 22: Dirty Dancing
Wednesday, July 29: Dazed and Confused
Wednesday, August 5: Jurassic Park
Wednesday, August 12: Audience Pick
Brooklyn Bridge Park's Movies with a View
Where: Pier 1 on the Harbor View Lawn, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 334 Furman Street, DUMBO
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-blanket, picnic, concession available
Perks: Amazing Manhattan skyline views, music (DJ’s) pre-screening
Thursday, July 9: High Noon
Thursday, July 16: Sharknado 2: The Second One
Thursday, July 23: Attack the Block
Thursday, July 30: Clue
Thursday, August 6: Friday
Thursday, August 13: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Thursday, August 20: Dazed and Confused
Thursday, August 27: Die Hard
Prospect Park (Bandshell)
Where: Prospect Park Bandshell, at Prospect Park West & 9th Street, Park Slope
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-picnic, Beer & wine are available for purchase
Friday, June 26: Paris is Burning
Friday, July 17: The Son of Sheik
Thursday, August 6: House of Usher (part of Celebrate Brooklyn! series)
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach
Where: Coney Island, the beach at West 10th Street, 1001 Boardwalk West
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-blankets, beach chairs, sandles, picnic
Perks: beach, view of the Coney Island ferris wheel
Tuesday, July 7: Frozen
Tuesday, July 21: Iron Man 3
Tuesday, July 28: The Lego Movie
Tuesday, August 4: American Hustle
Tuesday, August 11: Dirty Dancing
Tuesday, August 18: Grease
Tuesday, August 25: Gravity
Tuesday, September 2: ET
Where: Valentino Pier, by Coffey St & Ferris St, Red Hook
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-picnic, food available onsite
Perks: Waterfront views, proximity to Red Hook Lobster Pound
Tuesday, July 7: Jurassic Park
Tuesday, July 14: Coming to America
Tuesday, July 21: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Tuesday, July 28: Big Trouble in Little China
Tuesday, August 4: When We Were Kings
Tuesday, August 11: High Fidelity
Tuesday, August 18: The Incredibles
Tuesday, August 25: The Bad News Bears
Tuesday, September 1: Goodfellas
Where: Habana Outpost, 757 Fulton Street, Fort Greene
Cost: Free
Details: Food and drinks service
Perks: Good food and drinks
Mondays:
June 14: El Cantante
June 21: Scarface
June 28: Thelma & Louise
July 5: Top Gun
July 12: White Men Can’t Jump
July 19: Escape from New York
July 26: Jaws
August 2: To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything
August 9: Purple Rain
August 16: Grease
August 23: Footloose
August 30: Coming to America
September 6: The Goonies
September 13: Teen Wolf
September 20: The Usual Suspects
September 27: Arthur
October 4: Little Shop of Horrors
October 11: Jackie Brown
October 18: The Lost Boys
October 25: The Terminator
Where: 588 Grand St. Williamsburg
Cost: Free
Details: Food and drink service
Perks: free buttered popcorn and 2-for-1 drinks
Monday, June 15: Superbad
Monday, June 22: Dazed and Confused
Monday, June 22: Weekend at Bernie’s
Movie Nights in the Rockaways
Where: Rockaway Beach Park, Beach 17th Street and Seagirt Boulevard
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-seating, picnic
Perks: beach
Tuesday, July 7: The Iron Giant
Tuesday, August 4: Back to the Future Part II
Summer on the Canal - Dirty Dancing, by Gowanus Art + Production
Where: The Green Building, 452 Union Street, Gowanus
Cost: $10 Movie, $25 Movie + All You Can Drink! (beer and wine bar)
Details: Drinks available for purchase
Perks: Trivia, DJ set and dance party after
Wednesday, July 15: Dirty Dancing
Herbert Von King Park
Where: Herbert Von King Park, 670 Lafayette Avenue
Cost: Free
Details: BYO-seating, picnic
Perks: music performances by the Bullitts and DJ Spinna
Sunday, June 21: They Die By Dawn