13 best places to see an outdoor movie in NYC this summer

The beloved Movie Nights series is coming back to Bryant Park this summer, and it’s got an exciting new partner: Paramount+. The streaming juggernaut has entered into a multiyear deal with Bryant Park to support its outdoor movie series, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this summer, making it the park’s longest-running program. And what’s a good movie without snacks? Guests can enjoy food and drink curated by the Hester Street Fair, which will host a pop-up artisanal market each Monday at Bryant Park's Fountain Terrace featuring a rotating lineup of vendors hailing from all five boroughs. 

Now through August 12, Lincoln Center will have hundreds of free events, from silent discos and outdoor film screenings to queer music festivals and orchestra performances, and more. For the first time, the performing arts center’s campus will also be completely transformed by Visual Designer Clint Ramos, who is planning a greenhouse treat, a new performance space, and fun decorative details around Hearst Plaza, among other things.

For the full lineup with days, times, and details visit SummerForTheCity.org.

Film at Lincoln Center and Governors Island Arts just announced a joint program of free outdoor film screenings this summer, kicking off with a three-film series on Friday, June 9. Running one Friday each month through August, the “Rule-Breakers and Troublemakers,” film festival will feature a lineup of free outdoor movie screenings on the island’s historic Parade Ground, an 8-acre lawn with expansive open views of Lower Manhattan. The series is produced by Rooftop Films. On July 8, Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight (1998) will screen. And finally, the series will end on Friday, August 11, with Gurinder Chadha’s coming-of-age soccer flick Bend It Like Beckham (2002). Tickets for the Governors Island Ferry can be booked in advance online from Manhattan or Brooklyn’s Pier 6 or Red Hook stops.

Running through Thursday, August 24 with more than 45 events, Rooftop Films‘ 27th annual Summer Series will feature a mix of both ticketed events as well as free screenings, the latter of which will include family-friendly crowd-pleasers like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (to be screened at Helen Marshall Playground), In The Heights (at Hinton Park), and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (at Park of Americas).  Check out the full 2023 outdoor screenings calendar, as well as ticket information, at Rooftop Films' website. 

Rooftop Cinema Club in midtown is back this summer, and they just announced an impressive slate of movies. No matter which movie you pick, the city’s skyline serves as a stunning backdrop, as the cinema’s located on the Skylawn rooftop of the Embassy Suites Hotel on West 37th Street. But don’t worry about background noise because each guest gets their own wireless headphones. Snacks are, of course, an important part of the movie-going experience, and Rooftop Cinema Club delivers with hot dogs, Bavarian pretzels, nachos and popcorn. There’s also a full bar on site with beer, wine and themed cocktails. As for pricing, tickets range from $19.50 to $28.50, and you can reserve a lounge chair or a premium lounge chair. You can check out the entire season’s schedule and buy tickets right here.

“Paramount+ Movie Nights in Brooklyn” is a summer series of free outdoor screenings in three of the borough’s famed green spaces: Fort Greene Park, McCarren Park and Prospect Park. It's the latest local offering from the streaming giant, which is also hosting a similar set of free Movie Nights at Bryant Park this summer. Catch them Thursday evenings, including Marvel mega-hit Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Indian action drama RRR, The Nutty Professor, Top Gun: Maverick and more.

Every Thursday night starting July 6 through August 24, New Yorkers get to hang out on the Pier 1 Harbor View lawn and catch an exciting flick. As usual, guests can bring their own picnic just so long as they don’t drink alcohol. Aside from getting a good spot, there are more reasons to get there early, including the variety of DJs curated from Brooklyn Radio that will be spinning tunes before movie time. Expect film shorts by local filmmakers as selected by BAM Film to also play in the background, too.

Hosted by the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, the seasonal, family-friendly film series along the Long Island City waterfront will feature four movies this year, kicking off on Thursday, July 13th with the Paul Rudd-led superhero flick Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (sponsored by Nest Seekers). The Tom Cruise blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick will follow on Saturday, July 22nd (presented by Weill Cornell Medicine Primary Care Long Island City), with the Disney animated movie Soul to follow on Thursday, August 10 (another Nest Seekers sponsorship). All of the cinematic fun ends with another animated favorite, the 1992 classic Aladdin, on Friday, September 8, presented by Shibley Day Camp. The Parks Conservancy is working with Rooftop Films to enhance the outdoor screening experience, with flicks projected on a 30-foot inflatable screen equipped with enhanced video projection, so that attendees can enjoy no matter where they're located on the oval-shaped turf. And you can expect a crowd on that turf: last year's screening of Encanto reportedly attracted 1,300 moviegoers. For even more audience comfort, food and beverages will be available for purchase during the screenings at Ottomanelli’s by the Water. (Alas, alcohol is not permitted in the park.)

This Greenpoint, Brooklyn drive-in offers killer views of Manhattan's skyline along with popular movie classics at 1 Oak Street across the river from downtown Manhattan—a site that’s been used for shooting Fendi and Converse ads as well as the opening credits of Saturday Night Live. There’s a concession stand on site and if you don’t have a car, don’t worry, you can grab a chair to take in the flick. You can find the full, jam-packed schedule here.

NYC Parks and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment have made it possible for New Yorkers across the boroughs to find a free outdoor movie screening near them every week. These family-friendly screenings are held in the city's parks and playgrounds, ranging from great new movies to all-time classics. Each screening has chairs reserved for seniors and people with disabilities so that everyone can enjoy a good movie. So pack up a picnic, find a great spot, and enjoy the show. The massive, full schedule is here.

With its top-flight sound system, sophisticated menu and deeply chill vibes, Nowadays is a super low-key and unique spot to take in a flick. When it’s not pumping jams from live DJs, Nowadays screens music documentaries (usually during the week) for no extra cost, starting at sundown.

You can find out what's up next here.

The Seaport Cinema is back with screenings that have incredible sweeping views of the Lower Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. Each screening begins at 7:30pm and is free to attend but is first-come, first-served. Enjoy snacks and drinks during the movie with a menu of popcorn, tater tots, chicken fingers, pretzels, candy, beers and cocktails.