By Jean Trinh April 17, 2014 Your Guide To Outdoor Movie Screenings In Los Angeles
Nothing screams summertime in L.A. like picnicking on a blanket with a crowd that knows every line of Spaceballs. An AMC theater just can't give you the same experience. Here is a list of our favorite outdoor movie screenings at the beach, the Rose Bowl or a vacant parking lot downtown. We'll keep our eyes peeled and update the list when other faves like Cinespia and Cinema on the Street announce their summer lineups. Remember to check the websites of these events before attending as film and time listings sometimes change.
Street Food Cinema screening (Photo via Street Food Cinema Facebook)
Street Food Cinema
Street Food Cinema is more than your average film in the park. It's like a screening crossed with a concert and a farmers market. There will be food trucks and also live music to kill time before the movies begin. Their screenings, which kickstart during Memorial Day weekend and then follow through to the end of September, are shown from Culver City to Pomona. Aside from just playing old school favorites like Goonies and Clueless, they'll also be celebrating Say Anything's 25th Anniversary and have a live Rocky Horror Picture Show troupe, Sins O' the Flesh, perform alongside the screening.
They bring out familiar food trucks like Seoul Sausage and Grilled Cheese Truck, but they'll also be launching a new artisanal market where you can expect to find cheeses, hand-made preserves, fresh fruits and sweets. Oh, and you can also bring your pet pooches along to the screenings because...dogs love movies too, right? (Maybe the pups might like to attend the Reservoir Dogs or Wolf of Wall Street screenings?)
Street Food Cinema runs from May 24 to Sept. 27. General admission is $12, reserved seating is $17, children from 6 to 12 is $6, children 5 and under are free, and group rates are available at [email protected]. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., band plays at 6:30 p.m., audience games start at 8 p.m., and the movie starts at sundown. Most locations allow dogs except for the Pomona spot. More info can be found on Street Food Cinema's website here.
Here is the movie schedule:
Exposition Park at 700 Exposition Park Dr. in downtown: May 24—Say Anything (25th Anniversary) May 31—Goodfellas June 7—Rocky Horror July 5—Fight Club July 12—Bridesmaids July 19—Pretty in Pink/Weird Science “80s Double Feature!” July 26—Wolf of Wall Street August 2—Dazed and Confused August 9—Reservoir Dogs September 6—Pineapple Express September 13—Garden State September 20—Aliens September 27—Beetlejuice
Glendale Central Park at 201 E Colorado St. in Glendale: July 5—ET July 12—Dark Knight July 26—Sandlot August 2—Goonies August 9—Ghostbusters August 16—Back to the Future August 23—Clueless
Pomona Fairplex at 1101 W McKinley Ave. in Pomona: June 14—Pulp Fiction Veterans Memorial Park at 4117 Overland Ave. in Culver City: June 14—Bring it On
Brookside Park at Rose Bowl Dr. in Pasadena: June 21—Mean Girls July 19—Labyrinth August 30—Casablanca
Poinsettia Recreation Center at 7341 Willoughby Ave. in West Hollywood: June 21—Mean Girls
Moonlight Movies on the Beach (Photo via Alfredo's Beach Club)
Moonlight Movies on the Beach
Where else but in SoCal can you watch a movie right on the sand? Long Beach's Moonlight Movies on the Beach entices us Angelenos to actually make it to the beach (because we're pretty damn lazy otherwise) with free movie screenings this summer. Alfredo's on the Beach, which hosts the screenings, sells popcorn and drinks in case you get the munchies. Their summer series runs from June 21 to September 9, and you'll get to watch classics like Spaceballs as well as newer releases like Frozen and Gravity. And we love that they're closing out their summer series with a screening of Jaws while you look out into the dark vastness of the ocean.
Moonlight Movies on the Beach will hold screenings at Granada Beach and Mothers Beach in Long Beach. Movies start at dusk around 8 p.m. For more info on the screenings, visit their website here. Here is the schedule:
Granada Beach at 5101 E Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach: July 1—Gravity August 12—The Goonies August 18—Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban July 15—Caddy Shack August 26—E.T. July 22—Pee-Wee's Big Adventure September 2—Spaceballs July 29—Sixteen Candles August 5—The Wizard of Oz September 9—Jaws
Mothers Beach at 5825 E Appian Way in Long Beach: June 21—Monsters University August 8—Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs July 12—Mary Poppins September 6—Frozen
Electric Dusk Drive-In screening (Photo via Electric Dusk Drive-In Facebook)
Electric Dusk Drive-In
Electric Dusk Drive-In is like a throwback to the 50's. The year-round drive-in movie theater in downtown lets you watch films (like Wayne's World and Sunset Boulevard!) in your car like the good old days with the audio sent through your car radio. (Maybe you can even make out in the back seat!) But if sitting in a car just isn't your thing, you can also get the outdoor lawn experience by buying tickets for their Astroturf seating (bring a lawn chair or a blanket) and check out the film with their outdoor speakers. Carhops selling hamburgers and hot dogs come around to take your order from their snack shop.
Electric Dusk Drive-In is located at the City Market of L.A. at 1000 San Julian St. downtown. If you purchase your tickets in advance online (which they highly recommend as shows do sell out), they are $9 to $11 per film or $9 to $13 for double features. At the door, they will cost $2 more than the advanced online ticketing prices. Family Night at the Drive-In tickets are $8. Group tickets are $8.50 each, but you must buy at least a minimum of 10 tickets. Children under 5 are free. Showtimes vary for the different screenings (from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.), so make sure to check out their website for more information.
Here is their summer film schedule:
May 10—Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban May 17—A Streetcar Named Desire May 24—Dazed and Confused June 7—The Rocky Horror Picture Show June 14—Pulp Fiction June 21—Dirty Dancing July 5—Coming to America July 19—Sunset Boulevard August 2—9 to 5 August 16—Wayne's World August 30—Grease
A screening at Eat|See|Hear (Photo courtesy of Eat|See|Hear) Eat|See|Hear
Eat|See|Hear is back for its third year and pretty much offers you everything their name suggests. They'll be screening 19 films (mostly comedies) on their three-story inflatable movie screen from May 10 to September 13. They're kicking off their movie season with (500) Days of Summer, and although we love Joseph Gordon-Levitt, we can't help but feel giddy about their Rushmore screening. (We might still be riding high from Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel.) Screenings will be taking place on both sides of town in Santa Monica and Los Feliz. They're also bringing back their "Christmas in July" celebration on July 12 with quirky Christmas decorations and a Santa Claus visit to go along with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
Coolhaus' ice cream sammies and Brasil Kiss Mobile Coffee Bar along with other food trucks will be making appearances at the events. Your pooches also get some food at the screenings— free doggie biscuits are handed out at the door. And the "Hear" part? There will be live bands performing to get you amped up while you wait for your movie to start.
Eat|See|Hear runs from May 10 to September 13. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. "Fashionably late" tickets, which are in a reserved area, are available online for $20. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., bands perform at 7 p.m., movies begins at 8:30 p.m. Find out more info about the events on its website here.
Here is the screenings schedule:
Santa Monica High School's Memorial Greek Amphitheatre at 601 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica: May 10—(500) Days of Summer May 17—Office Space June 21—When Harry Met Sally July 12—National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation July 26—Super Troopers
Autry National Center at 4700 Western Heritage Way in Los Feliz: May 24—The Big Lebowski June 7—Rushmore July 5—Jaws July 19—American Psycho August 2—Blazing Saddles August 16—Purple Rain August 30—Django Unchained
Paul Revere Middle School is located at 1450 Allenford Ave. in Brentwood: May 31—Napoleon Dynamite June 14—Sixteen Candles June 28—Pitch Perfect August 9—Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery La Cienega Tennis Center is located at 325 S. La Cienega Blvd. in Beverly Hills: August 23—The Princess Bride
Will Rogers State Historic Park is located at 1501 Will Rogers State Park Rd. in Santa Monica: September 6—Dirty Dancing
Centennial Square at Pasadena City Hall is located at 100 N. Garfield Ave. in Pasadena September 13—The Goonies
A game at Dodger Stadium (Photo by Burns! via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
Dodger Stadium Movie Series
Dodger Stadium is even jumping on the outdoor movie screening train and will be showing three flicks this summer after their games. And of course, they're all baseball movies, including Field of Dreams and a League of Their Own. Now you'll get the chance to be in a baseball stadium watching Tom Hanks in a baseball field. It's very meta.
If you buy game day tickets, you'll get to enjoy the post-game screenings shown on the DodgerVision screens on April 26, May 31 and August 16. Ticket prices vary depending on which seats you select, so check the website for more information. They're also offering a three- game Dodger Stadium Movie Series Mini Plan at a discounted cost that allows guests to go to the games, watch the films, and also redeem a voucher for popcorn or a soda. The ticket package in that deal can go as low as $60. Dodger Stadium is located at 1000 Elysian Park Ave in Elysian Park. For more information on the schedule and tickets, visit the Dodgers website here. Here is the schedule:
April 26—Field of Dreams (after the Dodgers vs. Rockies game) May 31—A League of Their Own (after the Dodgers vs. Pirates game) August 16—The Natural (after the Dodgers vs. Brewers game)
Free Marina Movie Nights
Here's something for the folks out in Marina Del Rey. Burton Chace Park will be holding family- friendly outdoor movie screenings on Thursdays and Saturdays this summer. Bring out a picnic basket and sit under the stars for movies like The Never Ending Story and Despicable Me.
Burton Chace Park is located at 13650 Mindanao Way in Marina Del Rey, (310) 305-9596. More info can be found here.
Here is the movie schedule:
July 31—Annie August 9—Despicable Me August 14—Born to Be Wild August 23—The Never Ending Story
The view of downtown from Pershing Square (Photo by Greg Lilly via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
Pershing Square Friday Night Spring Flicks Angelenos get to enjoy some free outdoor movies in downtown's Pershing Square (in the center of some awesome skyscrapers) on Fridays starting on May 2 through June 27. The screenings this year have a heavy superhero and race-car theme going on. Bring a picnic basket, blanket and your pooch (well, only if your pup's well-behaved and on a leash).
Pershing Square is located at 532 S. Olive St. in downtown, (213) 487-4970. The screenings start at 8 p.m. More info about the screenings can be found here and here.
Here is the schedule:
May 2—Wolverine May 9—Captain America: The First Avenger May 16—Iron Man 3 May 23—Thor May 30—The Avengers June 6—Gone in 60 Seconds June 13—Christine June 20—Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby June 27—Fast & Furious 6
Alcove Dinner and a Movie
The Alcove cafe and adjoining Big Bar is combining our favorite things for their screenings this year—food, booze and cult classics. Their free event out in their garden patio will have movies like The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and The Shining on a 17-foot screen mixed in with themed cocktails and a dinner menu. It's a pretty romantic vibe there if you want to impress someone.
Folks can get seated at 6 p.m. and screenings start around 8 p.m. You won't have to make a reservation to attend. The Alcove is located at 1929 Hillhurst Ave. in Los Feliz, (323) 644-0100.
Here's the screenings schedule:
May 19—The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert June 16—Fight Club June 21—The Shining August 18—Swingers September 15—Romy & Michele's High School Reunion