Knock it out of the park
NOW, THIS is a sequel we can get behind. Auckland Council has announced the travelling Movies in Parks series will return early in the new year.
Taking its cues from all the best movie sequels, it promises to be bigger, bolder and better than ever before.
Last year the popular free movie screenings drew about 30,000 movie fans to parks around Auckland as people flocked to enjoy the latest blockbuster in the balmy summer breeze.
However, organisers are expecting to smash that number this time around and have put together a programme that features some of the biggest and most acclaimed family films of 2019.
Movies in Parks kicks off on Friday, January 24, at Ambury Farm in Mangere Bridge with Jon Favreau’s The Lion King remake and runs every Friday and Saturday evening through February and March before wrapping up on Saturday, April 18 with a Special Series Finale at Brains Park in Kelston.
In between those dates, film fans can look forward to screenings of Crazy Rich Asians (Kingsland’s Nixon Park, Friday, February 14), Toy Story 4 (Onehunga’s Fergusson Domain, Saturday, March 21 ) and Spider-Man: Far from Home
(Rosedale’s Rosedale Park, Friday, March 27).
Alongside all the animated adventures and superhero shenanigans there will be screenings of cinema classics like Spielberg’s E.T. (Devonport’s Woodall Park, Thursday, April 9) and the beloved musical Grease
(Manukau’s Barry Curtis Park, Saturday, April 1), as well as recent New Zealand films like coming of age comedy Hibiscus & Ruthless
(Avondale’s Eastdale Reserve, Friday, February 7), the Rose McIver musical Daffodils (park TBC, Saturday, April 11) and the acclaimed documentary Poi E,
which explores the history of the Patea Ma¯ori Club’s 80s breakdance banger (Pt Chev’s Coyle Park, Friday, April 3).
All up, Movies in Parks will screen a whopping 20 movies over the summer, giving you ample opportunity to catch up on the big blockbusters you missed this year while enjoying nature and the great outdoors.
Though the film being screened is the main draw, it’s only half the story. The evenings have a festival atmosphere with food trucks on site to grab a bite and pre-movie entertainment to enjoy before the sun sets and the movie begins.
Perhaps the best part about Movies in Parks is that you don’t need to be all organised. With no tickets or bookings required to enjoy the show, you can make a last-minute decision to rock up and catch a flick.
● Herald publisher NZME is media partner for the series. The full lineup will be at moviesinparks.co.nz from next Thursday.