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Every year the entire city waits with bated breath for Bryant Park to release the lineup for its very popular, very Lord of the Flies-y Monday-night summer movie series. (Eager lawngoers wait for hours, then at 5pm sharp, boom! They’re off to claim their patch of grass.) Finally, the annual HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival presented by Bank of America is back, with 10 classic movies that screen for free in the midtown park, and Time Out New York has the exclusive look at this year’s films.
“We try to get a movie from every decade and every studio,” says Jim Byerley, a consultant on the film festival. “If it’s older than 30 years, I consider it a classic. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Top Gun both just turned 30 this year so they made the cut.”
In fact, the classic John Hughes film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off will be this year’s premiere screening on June 20, with a new film being shown every Monday night through August. The festival has been trying to get the rights to screen some of this summer’s films for years.
“For some reason, East of Eden hasn’t been available until now,” says Byerley. “I’ve been trying for 10 or 15 years to get it in. And I’ve always wanted to do a Star Trek film. I think [Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan] is the best of the lot. I think it will be a huge hit.”
Lace up those running shoes, NYC. Your patch of grass is waiting.