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Take your movie-going experience to the next level this summer at Rooftop Cinema Club. The experience offers a chance to watch a movie on a Midtown rooftop with vegan popcorn, classic theater candy, and craft cocktails.
Kicking off on May 1, this season's rooftop movie schedule includes classics like When Harry Met Sally, Dirty Dancing, Grease, Mean Girls, Clueless, and so much more. Also expect special programming for Star Wars day, AAPI Heritage Month, Black Music Month, and Pride Month. Plus, it’s adding a Saturday Cereal Club and Mimosas & Muffins Sundays. Keep scrolling for the full lineup, and get tickets here.
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Movies to see at Rooftop Cinema Club this summer
May
To celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, the schedule features films that celebrate the many facets of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. To name a few, Parasite, Past Lives, and Everything Everywhere All at Once are on the lineup.
Given the popularity of May for weddings, the theater's also showing some iconic wedding movies, like Wedding Crashers, The Proposal, and Runaway Bride.
June
June's lineup honors Black Music Month and Pride Month. Black Music Month offerings include Brown Sugar, Love Jones, and Poetic Justice. For Pride, see But I'm a Cheerleader, The Color Purple, Showgirls, and more.
July
In July, get nostalgic with teen movies of the 1990s, like 10 Things I Hate About You, American Pie, and Drive Me Crazy. They'll also host a July 4 party featuring Independence Day.
Other special events
- Star Wars Celebration: Celebrate Star Wars Day on May 4 with Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi. Head to the rooftop before the films for Star Wars trivia, photo ops, and a costume contest. Then, keep the fun going on May 5 with Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith on the big screen.
- Tuesday Social Hours: On Tuesdays, enjoy live music, lawn games, and drinks on the rooftop beginning two hours before the first film of the night. A $9 Social Hour ticket includes entertainment plus your first drink. For $29, you can get all of that, plus the movie.
- Wine Wednesdays: On Wine Wednesday Movie Night, get a movie ticket plus a glass of wine in partnership with Bucket Listers.
- Saturday Cereal Club: Remember Saturday morning cartoons? This offering stokes the nostalgia with a vast cereal menu, vintage cartoons, then a classic coming-of-age cinema hit, perfect for adults and kids.
- Mimosa & Muffins Sundays: Play fun table and lawn games while sipping a mimosa and snacking on a muffin, then enjoy a film afterward.
Tips for experiencing Rooftop Cinema Club
The cinema is located high above Midtown's streets on the Skylawn rooftop of the Embassy Suites Hotel on West 37th Street where the skyline serves as an incredible backdrop. Don't worry about background noise, though: You'll get your own set of wireless headphones that block out street noise, and you can adjust the volume as needed.
As for seating, you'll get to choose a standard high-back lounge chair or a premium lounge chair that comes with extra cushions. You'll book your ticket type, then get to pick your exact seat on-site, first-come, first-served. Ticket prices range from $12-$29/person depending on your seating preference and movie time.
Snacks are, of course, an important part of the movie-going experience, and Rooftop Cinema Club delivers with hot dogs, Bavarian pretzels, nachos, popcorn, and pizza. There’s also a full bar on-site with beer, wine and themed cocktails.
A few more tips: If you're going to a daytime screening, wear some sunscreen; if you're going in the evening, bring a jacket. The cinema's cashless, so be sure to bring a debit or credit card.
"Great film will always be the cornerstone of Rooftop Cinema Club, and the social cinema element is what makes us truly special. This season really highlights that," Rooftop Cinema Club founder and chief executive Gerry Cottle tells Time Out New York. "Whether joining old friends for iconic cartoons at our new Saturday Cereal Club or making new ones at a Tuesday Social Hour — on any day of the week, we're bringing New Yorkers together to enjoy entertainment atop our hidden gem in the city."
The venue is truly a hidden gem where the atmosphere will make you feel some serious main character energy.