Another week, another new drive-in movie theater: Tribeca Enterprises, the company cofounded by Robert De Niro that puts on the Tribeca Film Festival every year, announced today that they will be showing outdoor films at Orchard Beach as part of their Tribeca Drive-In series next month.
“As an immediate and safe solution, we’re excited to bring new and classic works from filmmakers, creators, and artists to communities across the country through the Tribeca Drive-In series. As the nation begins to emerge from months of quarantine, we look forward to movie theaters reopening and hope that the Drive-In serves as a reminder of the magic of the moviegoing experience," said Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal.
The series will take place each weekend—Thursday through Sunday—throughout the summer, beginning on July 2nd, 2020 and running through August 2nd, 2020. Four venues have already been announced around the country, including two local venues: Orchard Beach in The Bronx and Nickerson Beach in Nassau County. Also participating is AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California; they noted that other venues may be announced in the coming weeks.
Most enticingly, all Orchard Beach screenings are free, and events on the first night for Nickerson Beach (July 9th) are also free—subsequent events at Nickerson cost $26 per vehicle. There will be approximately 500 cars that can fit per screening at Orchard, and about 250 at Nickerson.So if you're at all interested in seeing one of the films at Orchard, you're going to want to register for a ticket ASAP because they almost certainly will sell out very quickly. (A percentage of the ticket proceeds from Nickerson screenings as well as other venues will be donated to Black Lives Matter.)
And compared to some of the other drive-ins that have popped up throughout the city this summer, this one has a slightly more interesting lineup of films that doesn't just rely on classics like Jaws or Grease. At both Orchard Beach and Nickerson Beach, the series kicks off on July 9th with an actual new film: Palm Springs, a new Groundhog's Day-esque comedy starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti (which is being released on Hulu a day later).
At Orchard Beach, they will also be showing comedies including Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Superbad, Meet The Parents, Girls Trip, and Pee Wee's Big Adventure; superhero films like The Dark Knight, Wonder Woman, and Black Panther; and also The Fast & The Furious, Casino Royale, Do The Right Thing, Love & Basketball, Straight Outta Compton, Selena and the short Tangled Roots. You can see the full lineup and details here.
And at Nickerson, they will also show Back To The Future, Mean Girls, Friday Night Lights, Bridesmaids, Inside Man, Beetlejuice, Goldfinger, Talladega Nights and more in addition to some of the movies up above. Check out the full lineup and details here.
There will be concessions and temporary bathrooms available on site, but people will not be allowed to picnic or tailgate outside their vehicles; cyclists and pedestrians aren't permitted, people have to wear masks anytime they step out of their cars, and parking spots will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.
“The Tribeca Drive-In series is a tribute to movies and the shared experience of watching them, even if from our cars. In anticipation of theaters reopening imminently, we look back at what we love about the big screen experience,” said De Niro in a statement.
In early May, The Bel Aire Diner in Astoria started hosting drive-in movie nights in their parking lot which became wildly popular. Then MASC Hospitality Group, the company that helps run the Bronx Night Market and the Bronx Beer Festival, announced that they are planning to bring their Uptown Drive-In festival to the Yankee Stadium parking lot in July. And last week, the Skyline Drive-In opened in Greenpoint with a slate of classic movies; theirs is one of the pricier drive-ins ($54.99 per car) but also allows people to sit outside their vehicles.
