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Drive-In Movie Series Coming to Flushing Meadows Corona Park

A mockup of the Queens Drive-In at Flushing Meadows Corona Park (Rooftop Films)

July 22, 2020 By Allie Griffin

A new drive-in movie series is coming to Flushing Meadows Corona Park next month to offer Queens residents a safe film screening experience with a retro flair.

Rooftop Films is partnering with the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) and the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) to bring its first drive-in film festival to Queens for its 24th season in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

The series will launch next month, although the exact date has yet to be announced. There will be screenings every Wednesday through Sunday from August through October.

The movies will be screened on the grounds of NYSCI. Doors open each night at 7:30 p.m., with events beginning an hour later and ending by 11 p.m.

“For 24 years, it has been Rooftop’s mission to bring New Yorkers together via the medium of film,” said Rooftop Films Artistic Director Dan Nuxoll. “With theaters shuttered and most festivals postponed or moving to streaming, we hope that these events will be part of a collaborative healing process for our neighbors, and give us an opportunity to once again spotlight the most daring new films from around the world.”

Rooftop Films and MoMI will curate the line-up of movies and NYSCI will provide pre-show scientific demonstrations, talks and videos that connect with each night’s themes.

The line-up will include independent and foreign film premieres, new and classic family films, science and sci-fi screenings curated by NYSCI and a special presentation of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 “A Space Odyssey.”

“It is our hope that the Queens Drive-in will help in the process of revitalizing culture in the borough,” said Dr. Margaret Honey, President and CEO of the New York Hall of Science.

Many screenings will be followed by a Q&A.

Tickets start at $35 per car and parking spots will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to Elmcor, a social services organization serving East Elmhurst and Corona.

There will be a number of free screenings throughout the summer, sponsored by the Queens Borough President. Local community organizations will also provide additional free tickets for most programming to residents of Corona and Elmhurst — two of the communities hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.

“In this unusual New York summer without concerts and other large-scale events in the parks, Queens is proud to partner with Rooftop Films and others to present this drive-in movie series as an option for families and friends to enjoy together while still prioritizing safety,” Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee said.

“We are especially delighted to bring to New Yorkers a number of these films free of charge here in the Borough of Families.”

Rooftop Films launched a similar drive-in series in Brooklyn last weekend.