Seeing stars

Outdoor movie screens are popping up all over town. Grab a blanket, pack a snack and get ready to be entertained.

The Wex Drive-In series at the Wexner Center.

Al Zanyk/courtesy Wexner Center

If you have the box office blues this summer, never fear. Venues around the city are offering alternatives to overpriced silver screens, and they come complete with fresh air and plenty of space to sprawl. More than a dozen outdoor movie series are showing everything from Gnomeo & Juliet to West Side Story. Many offer food, music and fun activities along with the show—and since most are free, they beat an $11 movie ticket, hands-down.

The wild bunch

One of the largest outdoor movie series is Zoombezi Bay’s Dive-In Movie nights. The movie is free when you purchase a ticket to get into the park, so most of the 1,000+ movie-goers will have spent at least part of the day frolicking in the water.

The park closes between 7 and 8 pm throughout the summer, but on Dive-In Movie nights guests can stay late to mingle at the wave pool before the movie begins. Zoo residents such as penguins, small cats, armadillos and flamingos will stop by for a visit as local radio deejays emcee and play music. The activities and decorations will have a theme relating to the movie, says Jeff Glorioso, director of experiential marketing at Zoombezi Bay. For instance, “With National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, we’ll be decorating the area like Christmas in July.”

At 9 pm, attention will turn from games and activities to the backlit inflatable movie screen on the side of the pool. Guests can relax while floating on inner tubes or reclining in lounge chairs and catch a movie that has been selected with a wide audience in mind.  “We try to get movies that appeal to the family,” explains Glorioso. “Our demographic is not only families with small children . . . we tried to add a little more diversity this year.”

Splendor in the grass

While some series aim to please a diverse audience, others focus on a specific genre or theme. The Wex Drive-In series at OSU’s Wexner Center for the Arts is among the latter. This year, the theme complements an indoor film series called “Kinema Japan,” which focuses on Japanese films and American films set in Japan.

Don’t be confused by the name of this series; you won’t be driving your car onto the Wexner’s lawn. Rather, the films are shown on a real (i.e. not inflatable) movie screen hung on the scaffolding that makes up the center’s façade. Guests watch from blankets or chairs on the plaza. The Wex Drive-In has the distinction of being the only series around that uses a 35 mm projector and film, says Dave Filipi, director of film/video at the Wex. “The picture is much, much better with the film projection,” he adds. “I think people still do get a kick out of seeing the whole apparatus. . . . It connects with people’s romance of the movies a little more.”

In past years, vendors such as Pam’s Market Popcorn and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams have offered free snacks at the screenings, and Barley’s Brewing Company sells beer. Movie-goers also are allowed to bring their own snacks. Last year’s series brought in more than 1,000 people each night, making it one of the largest free movie series around.

Field of dreams

If you’re looking for a more intimate movie-watching experience, check out the Classic Movie Series at the Everal Barn and Homestead in Westerville. During its introductory season last summer, the fledgling series saw a growth from 25 to about 150 attendees, and Westerville Parks and Recreation program director Laura Horton hopes to see an even bigger increase this year. The first showing this summer is in collaboration with the Westerville Youth Baseball and Softball League, which Horton thinks will give attendance a boost.

The first movie of the series,The Sandlot, will be accompanied by baseball-related activities such as a speed-pitch machine. There also will be music, cornhole and activities for kids, Horton says. Free popcorn will be offered at all three movies, and guests are encouraged to bring their own snacks or picnic suppers.

Arguably the most unique aspect of the Classic Movie Series is its projection method. Rather than renting an inflatable screen, the movie will be shown on a background that’s already available: the white-painted barn. The sound company in charge of the movie’s audio also will provide deejay services.

On the waterfront

With the grand opening of the Scioto Mile and the renovation of the adjacent Bicentennial Park this summer comes a wealth of new programming. Included in the summer lineup is the Movies on the Mile series, which is based on the Family Fun Flicks series that began in 2008 and saw an average attendance of 800 to 1,000 people.

Though the details of Movies on the Mile are still being finalized, volunteer and program coordinator Courtney Gano says there will be fun activities and cartoons at 7 pm, and the movies will begin at dusk. They’ll be displayed on a 26-by-15-foot inflatable screen set up in the amphitheater. Speakers will be placed at the front of the screen and may be expanded to include surround sound. Seating in the amphitheater is estimated to be enough for 2,000 to 3,000 people, so there will be plenty of room to spread out a blanket or set up lawn chairs.

Make sure you come hungry. Gano says Milestone 229, the on-site cafe run by the Columbus Brewing Company, will be selling movie-style concessions such as popcorn, hot dogs and drinks. You’re also welcome to bring your own snacks.

The movie lineup is a mix of relatively new releases and some older classics, says Gano, including four family-oriented films and one geared toward young adults and professionals. Parking is available in the garage at 232 Front St.

The usual suspects

Nearly every suburb and many neighborhoods around town will offer their own series this summer, from Easton’s Movies by Moonlight to the Short North’s Screen on the Green. Gahanna has two series, the Friday Flicks Movie Night and Dive-In Movies. And suburbanites can check out Upper Arlington’s Movies in the Park, Pickerington’s Friday Night Flicks, Grove City’s Fryer Flicks on the Hill and Clintonville’s Movies in the Park. 

Emma Frankart is an assistant editor for Columbus Monthly.