Welcome to the 32nd season of summer films at Bryant Park; bring your friends and biggest picnic blanket, and snag your spot on the huge lawn to view a feature on the big screen under the stars. The lawn opens at 5 p.m. every Monday, and the selected title starts at 8 p.m. Paramount+ Movie Nights in Bryant Park are supported by the Hospital for Special Surgery, Wonder and Vulture.
Everything from chocolate-covered strawberries to Japanese sandos are for sale before the show, curated by Hester Street Fair on the Fountain Terrace. The bar tent located at the back of the lawn also opens at 5 p.m. for summery beverages, featuring special offerings from Stout New York City. Stout has been curating specialty cocktails tailored to each movie, and Monday evening’s was a Gordie Spritz, a sixteen-dollar special made with Mionetto Prosecco, alcohol-free aperitivo, raspberry puree and an orange wedge garnish inspired by Stand By Me’s renegade protagonist (the drink could also be made with alcohol-free Mionetto Prosecco). Guests are welcome to enjoy the lawn starting at 5 p.m., but you may want to line up before that, as a big rush of excited moviegoers usually storm the green right when it opens. Think you’re a film fanatic? Play Vulture’s grid game Cinematrix to prove it as you wait for the movie to start, and make sure to grab some free chips and guacamole from Wonder’s stand to the right of the big screen.
“Even outside of Movie Nights, our commitment at Bryant Park is to make sure that the park is free, open and accessible to New Yorkers and the public,” said John Zeitoun, Director of Partnerships at the Bryant Park Corporation. “There’s nothing quite like sitting on the lawn in the middle of New York City surrounded by these beautiful skyscrapers and just enjoying a movie with thousands of new friends.”
This summer’s lineup includes a selection of movies from the archives of the park’s partners at Paramount+; whether you prefer blockbusters, Oscar winners, romantic comedies or pure slapstick, Biederman has no doubt there’s a movie for everybody this season.
“There’s just a nice mix of titles this year,” said Biederman. “We’re closing with The Godfather, we still have Ghost coming up, we opened with the favorite Pretty In Pink; we really take a lot of pride in making sure that the season is tastefully curated and there’s something in it for everyone.”
June 30th’s Monday night film was Rob Reiner’s 1986 acclaimed coming-of-age drama Stand By Me, starring Will Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix and Corey Feldman, and based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella The Body. On the way to find a stranger’s dead body in rural Castle Rock, Oregon, four young boys learn more about each other and their very different families. Audience members clapped and cried alongside the movie’s various twists and turns [link to reel].
Movie Nights are a nonticketed, first-come-first-served, free event open to the public; bring a blanket for the most comfortable viewing experience. Every movie is captioned at the bottom of the screen for hard-of-hearing and deaf guests.
Please check out the park’s website and social media pages for updates before your screening, and enjoy the show! The schedule is as follows:
- July 7th: Good Will Hunting
- July 14th: Interstellar
- July 21st: Ghost
- July 28th: Pulp Fiction
- August 4th: Blades Of Glory
- August 11th: The Godfather
