Free Drive-In Movie Nights Return To Queens In May

CORONA, QUEENS — Free screenings of drive-in movies are returning to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park this May and June thanks to continued support from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., who is calling the event’s reboot a “second season.”

The free screenings, which kick off May 4, will run as part of the nonprofit Rooftop Films' ongoing Queens Drive-In movie festival, which launched at the beginning of March on the grounds of the Hall of Science and continues through June.

The free showings are made possible by support from those two local organizations and the Queens Borough President, as well as the Museum of the Moving Image, the Queens Night Market, NYC Parks and the New York City Comptroller.

Each screening has space for about 200 cars. Pre-registration is required and opens online two weeks before each showing.

Here’s a list of all of the movies that will be playing at the Queens Drive-In, in chronological order of their screening dates (which are subject to change):

Tuesday, May 4: “Star Wars” (1977)
Wednesday, May 19: “Inside Out” (2015)
Wednesday, May 26: “Moonlight” (2016)*
Wednesday, June 16: “Coming to America” (1988)*
Thursday, June 24: “Monsoon Wedding” (2001)*
Date TBA: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018)

The event’s news release noted that “Moonlight,” “Coming to America,” and “Monsoon Wedding” include sexual content and or violence.

For the first three dates of the film series, the parking lot will open to moviegoers at 7:30 p.m., and screenings will begin at 8:30 p.m., but for showings of “Coming to America” and “Monsoon Wedding,” the parking lot will open at 8 p.m. with the films slated to begin at 9 p.m.

Notably, the “Monsoon Wedding” screening on June 24 will also feature a live musical performance by the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter known as Falu.

Moviegoers can also purchase food and beverages at the event through vendors that have previously participated in the Queens Night Market, held seasonally in the same location.

There will be contactless purchasing options available, including pre-show ordering, and stadium-style vendors who will walk between cars before the movie begins.

Although Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday that he plans for the city will fully reopen July 1 to a pre-pandemic normal, Borough President Richards pointed out in his statement about the socially-distanced, drive-in that “we’re not out of the woods when it comes to COVID-19 yet” but this kind of event still enables us to “safely enjoy evening in Flushing Meadows Corona park with our family, friends, and neighbors.”