Whether you’re more of a Godzilla fan, or a John Wayne fan, or a Selena fan, or all of the above, there are movie opportunities ready and waiting for you throughout San Antonio’s hot summer.
The Briscoe Museum of Western Art kicked off its very western-themed Summer Film Series May 27 with a gala event featuring the John Wayne classic Still in the Saddle, to be followed by afternoon showings of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on Sunday, Little Big Man on June 20, True Grit on July 18, The Long Riders on Aug. 22, and The Shootist on Sept. 5.
The series celebrates the Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western exhibition up in the museum through Sept. 6.
La Cantera
Godzilla crashes into town on June 10 to fight King Kong in the 2021 update Godzilla vs. Kong to inaugurate the new season of the Rooftop Cinema Club, newly renamed The Drive-In at La Cantera. Started in the fashionable London neighborhood of Shoreditch, the outdoor movie franchise has expanded throughout the U.S., including on the grounds of Six Flags Fiesta Texas on Interstate 10.
If the first Godzilla film doesn’t deliver enough punches, the movie repeats the following night, paired with Mortal Kombat.
Other features include Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Wonder Woman 1984, Judas & The Black Messiah, Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar, and the 1974 horror classic Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
A full schedule of movies, with information on concessions and ticketing, is available here.
Legacy Park and Travis Park
Slab Cinema splits its time downtown between the new Legacy Park and Travis Park throughout the summer, including on June 1 when it will show Singin’ In the Rain in Legacy Park at 8 p.m. and Zootopia in Travis Park with pre-movie programming beginning at 7 p.m. and the main feature showing at dusk.
Other Slab Cinema offerings at Legacy Park include the “Arthouse Edition” series, with musical La La Land on June 8, Motorcycle Diaries on June 22, and Darjeeling Limited on July 6.
For the Travis Park “Movies by Moonlight” series, Spiderman: Far From Home spins its superhero tale on June 8, followed by The Sandlot on June 15, Onward on June 22, Sing on June 29, Aquaman on July 6, The Goonies on July 13, Raya and the Last Dragon on July 20, and Moana on July 27, which along with Sing are special singalong nights.
Heart of the City
Main Plaza, which bills itself as “the Heart of the City,” will be the site of a free movie series throughout the summer months with Corazón Cinema each Thursday from June 3 through Aug. 26.
Appropriate to the series title, the June 3 feature is Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez and filled with the Corpus Christi crossover pop star’s still-thrilling music.
Corazón Cinema is geared toward family-friendly pictures, with Toy Story, Ghostbusters, and The Princess and the Frog on June 10, June 17, and June 24. The popular Pixar features Coco and Wall-E, the animated kid-friendly sci-fi flick from 2008, play July 22 and Aug. 8.
A complete schedule of Corazón Cinema films and other plaza events is available on the Main Plaza Conservancy website.
On a movie mission
Nestled amid the historic missions is the Mission Marquee Plaza, which offers the H-E-B Outdoor Family Film Series of free drive-in movies throughout the summer months.
The series includes newish movies such as Trolls World Tour on June 5 and Jumanji: The Next Level on June 19, alongside “throwback” oldies including Parenthood on June 17, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on July 15, and The Karate Kid on July 17.
A full Mission Marquee movie schedule is available for download, and the Facebook page will be updated regularly.
Will’s Plaza
The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts has brought back its outdoor cinema series, which took a pause during the pandemic. During those months, the Will Naylor Smith Plaza had been activated with the Wellness at the Tobin Center series of exercise and music programming.
Now, “Will’s Plaza” will come alive the second Friday night of “most months,” as an announcement states, through May 2022 with a free series of family-friendly films.
Ferdinand debuts June 11, followed by the big screen version of the cat-and-mouse classic Tom & Jerry on July 9. Choreographer Julie Taymor’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs Sept. 10, followed by Soul on Oct. 8 and Raya and the Last Dragon on Nov. 12.
A full list of films in the series is available here.
The plaza opens at 6:30 p.m., with films starting at 7:30 p.m. on the Tobin Center’s 32-foot video screen. Full concessions and bar will be on offer, with no outside food or drinks allowed. The Tobin Center advises for audiences to bring a lawn chair or blanket to set out on the plaza.
