The New York Hall of Science has gone Hollywood again.
After a successful 2020 season, drive-in movies are back through June 2021, with another mix of classic films, including family favorites such as The Muppets Take Manhattan, plus such spy thillers as James Bond saving the world in From Russia With Love, Jack Nicholson scaring us in The Shining, and double features like Escape from New York + RoboCop.
Queens Drive-In, which presented more than 80 film-and-entertainment events last season, has a shortened schedule of 27 movies this year, in the same 200-car parking lot as last season.
The starting times go from 6:30 pm to 7 pm, and the entrance to the Hall of Science parking lot is 47-01 111th St., and showing dates rotate among weekday and weekend evenings.
You are encouraged to make reservations in advance, since some showings sell-out.
Prices are $35 per five-person vehicle and $45 for double features.
Part of the ticket sales will support Plaza Del Sol Family Health Center in Corona
Here’s the schedule through June:
March 7, The Muppets Take Manhattan.
- Frank Oz’s first solo-directed film follows the Muppets as they head to NYC to make it big on Broadway.
March 12, Rocky + Creed.
- A one-two punch of Rocky Balboa and his boxing adventures.
March 13, The Shining.
- Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall star in Stanley Kubrick’s chilling adaptation of a Stephen King novel.
March 14, Singin’ In The Rain + Magic Mike XXL.
- Hollywood musicals from different eras contrast toe-tapping with bump-and-grinding. The sequence of Gene Kelly singing and dancing in the rain with an umbrella is iconic, perhaps one of the most famous dance numbers in Hollywood history. Magic Mike is no match for genius Gene.
March 20, Escape From New York + RoboCop.
- Two action-packed Sci-Fi films from the 1980s.
March 21, Babe + Babe: Pig In The City.
- A farm animal steals hearts in two family films from the 1990s.
March 26, Thelma & Louise + Desperately Seeking Susan.
- A double dose of fierce, free-spirited women who seek independence on the open road or in the big city.
March 27, Fast Times at Ridgemont High + Dazed and Confused. Two comedy cult classics about the joys, confusions, and mischief of adolescence.
March 28, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
- Gene Wilder stars in this original adaptation of Roald Dahl’s fantasy tale.
April 2, Dune.
- David Lynch’s original adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Sci-Fi classic.
April 3, North by Northwest + From Russia with Love.
- These are two spy thrillers. The first, with Cary Grant, features a memorable scene at Mt. Rushmore, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The second in this double feature is the original James Bond, Sean Conner, saving the world.
April 4, Labyrinth. Watch Jim Henson’s dazzling world of fantasy and adventure and listen to music by David Bowie.
April 10, Shaft + Boyz N the Hood .
- Two looks at tough urban life in NYC and South Central LA.
April 11, Your Name.
- This anime blockbuster follows high school students who magically switch bodies and fall in love as they unravel a mystery.
April 17, Fist of Fury + Lady Snowblood.
- Two 1970s martial arts masterpieces.
April 20, The Big Lebowski.
- This Coen Brothers favorite mixes crime noir with absurdist comedy and quotable one-liners.
April 24, Thelma and Louise + Desperately Seeking Susan.
- A double dose of free-spirited, strong women seeking adventure and romance.
April 30, Gravity + Short Films.
- Alfonso Cuarón’s outer-space adventure, introduced by a physician who specializes in the effects of social isolation on the brain, and some shorts.
May 2, Groundhog Day.
- Bill Murray puts in a great performance as a television weatherman in this circular comedy.
May 13, 28 Days Later + The Polio Crusade.
- Danny Boyle’s groundbreaking zombie film after an introduction by infectious disease epidemiologist Caitlin Rivers about how quickly viruses can spread and the importance of interventions like vaccines.
May 14, Fist of Fury + Lady Snowblood.
Cornerstones of the martial arts genre, these 1970s classics sizzle with ferocious beauty.
June 4, The Host + Short Films.
- Oscar-winning Korean master Bong Joon-ho’s breakthrough monster movie and an introduction by field scientist Kendra Phelps who specializes in the diseases bats spread.
Prices are $35 per five-person vehicle and $45 for double features.
Part of the ticket sales will support Plaza Del Sol Family Health Center in Corona.
The Queens Drive-In is organized via a partnership with the Museum of the Moving Image, Rooftop Films, the Hall of Science, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.
Drive-In Movie Theaters Enjoy a Pandemic Renaissance
by Evelyn Kanter
Old-fashioned drive-in theaters are back in style.
It’s part nostalgia, part need for affordable family-friendly entertainment in troubled times.
Social distancing and having fun too!
KEEP READING on GoNomad.com
Queens Drive-In had a counterpart, Brooklyn Drive-In, on the pier of The Brooklyn Army Terminal last year. We hope it returns this year.
Editor’s note: The organizers will follow city and state health guidelines to ensure the safety of all attendees.
Vintage photo of drive-in theater courtesy Volkswagen
I think that’s wonderful!! I used to love going to drive-ins and I think it’s great that there is some entertainment coming back. We’re on the right track of going back to normal.
I definitely support this.