Outdoor Movie Screenings in NYC

Eventually the giant rain clouds hovering above NYC are going to shuffle onto their next destination. And when they do, you can take your poor pale self and head out to any number of the free/cheap outdoor film screenings taking place in NYC throughout the summer. For your own enjoyment, a compendium of some of these outdoor screenings follows.

1. Brooklyn Bridge Park Movies with a View
Where: Brooklyn Bridge Park
When: Thursdays in July and August, from 6pm-11pm
Event: Before the main feature, listen to a DJ, snack on food by RICE, and watch a short film.
Movies start at sunset.
Cost: FREE!
Screenings: Everything from cult classics like Raising Arizona and Edward Scissorhands, to classics like The Maltese Falcon.

2. Rooftop Films: Underground Movies Outdoors
Where: All over Manhattan
When: Every weekend, through September 20, 9:00pm.
Event: Independent film screenings from NYC and around the world. Doors open at 8pm, DJ spins at 8:30pm, and films start at 9:00pm. Many screenings are followed by a filmmaker Q&A.
Cost: $9 at door or online.
Screenings: Not your Blockbuster stuff. Heavy focus on foreign film and documentaries.

3. River to River Festival Film Screenings
Where: The Elevated Acre at 55 Water St., Manhattan
When: Mondays in July, 8pm.
Event: Part of the larger arts festival, these screenings are preceded by short films.
Cost: FREE!
Screenings: The Seven Year Itch, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), West Side Story, and Sweet Smell of Success.

4. HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival
Where: Bryant Park, Manhattan
When: Mondays, ongoing through August 17th, films begin at dusk.
Event: The park opens at 5pm for blankets and picnicking. Films begin typically between 8pm and 9pm.
Cost: FREE!
Screenings: Classics like How Green Was My Valley and The Defiant Ones, and a few new classics like Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

5. SummerScreen
Where: Ball Fields at McCarren Park, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
When: Wednesdays in July and August, dusk.
Event: Sit in the stands, eat park food ($), and watch a feature.
Cost: FREE!
Screenings: Cult classics like Reality Bites, Evil Dead 2, and Fame.

6. Films on the Green
Where: Parks across Manhattan
When: Fridays in June and July, dusk.
Event: A French film festival, focused on the environment.
Cost: FREE!
Screenings: The Big Blue, Love is in the Air, Works, and Claire's Knees.

7. River Flicks for Grown-Ups
Where: Hudson River Park, Pier 54 at 14th St.
When: Wednesdays in July and August, dusk.
Event: Free popcorn and a 2008 Blockbuster.
Cost: FREE!
Screenings: Hits from last year, including Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and Tropic Thunder.

8. River Flicks for Kids
Where: Pier 46 at Charles St.
When: Fridays in July and August, dusk.
Event: Free popcorn and a kids movie.
Cost: FREE!
Screenings: Embrace the kid in you. Features movies like Wizard of Oz, Ghostbusters, and Curious George.

9. Outdoor Cinema 2009
Where: Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens
When: Wednesdays from July 15 to August 19, dusk.
Event: Pre-screening performances and local food vendors spice things up before the screening of an International film.
Cost: FREE!
Screenings: A film snobs dream, with films like Contempt, Waltz with Bashir, and Gomorrah.