Movies revealed for Red Rocks’ first-ever drive-in series
Film on the Rocks is back. The popular movie series at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which would have celebrated its 21st season earlier this year, is returning under pandemic restrictions as a drive-in series programmed by Denver Film.
“It took a little time to get the details coordinated,” said Keith Garcia, artistic director of Denver
Film’s Sie Filmcenter and a longtime programmer of Film on the Rocks. “But we wanted to make sure that amid all the drive-ins popping up, ours was the best it could possibly be and had our stamp of quality.”
Beginning Aug. 13-16, Denver Film will screen four different titles on a weekly basis with up to 300 cars ticketed for each event. Each film will be presented on an LED screen located in the Red Rocks’ Lower South Lot 2 parking area, with audio delivered via a designated FM radio frequency, Denver Film officials said. Guests will be required to remain inside their vehicles for the duration of the events.
The screen, which Denver Film is renting, is the biggest drive-in movie screen in Colorado, according to Denver Film, and marks Red Rocks’ first-ever experiment with drive-in movies. As much as the nonprofit, which puts on the Den
ver Film Festival, has invested in virtual cinema in recent weeks, Garcia is excited to show films in their original, big-screen glory — and in an environment not plagued by traffic and city lights, as some metro-area drive-ins are.
“What excited me most was the opportunity to curate something ongoing,” said Garcia, who expects the series will be extended far beyond the first three weeks of programming that were announced Thursday. “Favorite movies are people’s comfort food during this pandemic, so we wanted to present a mix of Film on the Rocks favorites” and new titles.
In fact, some of the scheduled titles for the traditional, now-scuttled 21st season — which typically takes place in the main amphitheater with an average attendance of 8,000 people — will appear on this schedule, such as “Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse” (see the full schedule below).
“But we didn’t want to just throw in the whole kitchen sink yet,” Garcia said. “So we’re starting with films that nod to the location, such as ‘Grease’ and ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ which I hope will become a new classic.”
Tickets for Film on the Rocks: Drive-in are on sale starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11 at denverfilm.org or redrocksonline.com/ film. They cost $59.50 per car, per evening. and include a package including “two bottles of CocaCola product, City Pop popcorn, and theater-sized M&M’S and Twizzlers,” Denver Film said in a press statement. In addition, Chick-fil-a sandwiches will be available for discounted pre-purchase online, or cashless payment on-site (including sandwich, cookies, chips and drink).
Gates at Red Rocks will open at 6 p.m. on film nights, with screenings starting at 7:30 p.m.
“The plan is to keep it going into
November and use that LED screen as part of the Denver Film Festival, rather than opening at the Ellie (Caulkins Opera House),” said Britta Erickson, director of the Denver Film Festival. “Some distributors only want their films screened theatrically, and we’re negotiating with them to see if the drive-in screen fits the bill.”
Week 1 (Aug. 13-16)
• Thursday, Aug. 13, “Grease”
• Friday, Aug. 14, “Straight Outta Compton”
• Saturday, Aug. 15, “Inter the Spider-verse”
Sunday, Aug. 16, “The Goonies”
Week 2 (Aug. 20-23)
• Thursday, Aug. 20, “Clueless”
• Friday, Aug. 21, “Scream” Saturday, Aug. 22, “The Big Lebowski”
• Sunday, Aug. 23, “Rudy”
Week 3 (Aug. 27-30)
• Thursday, Aug. 27, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
• Friday, Aug. 28, “Robocop”
• Saturday, Aug. 29, “Jurassic Park”
• Sunday, Aug. 30, “Field of Dreams”