Sunset Cinema at The Wharf screens Aquaman, Best in Show, Girls Trip and more
Films will be projected onto a 20-foot screen at the central Transit Pier every Thursday evening
Back in pre-pandemic years, practically every BID (or business improvement district) and many neighborhoods in town would host a weekly or semi-weekly summer screening series, from downtown’s Golden Triangle to Navy Yard’s Capitol Riverfront. While some are planning to return in late summer, The Wharf at the Southwest Waterfront is currently up and running.
It features an intriguing lineup of films that will be projected onto a 20-foot outdoor LED screen set up at the central Transit Pier every Thursday evening starting just before dusk. In a nod to Pride month, the June 24 offering is Bohemian Rhapsody, the 2018 biopic about Queen and its flamboyant, gay frontman Freddie Mercury, portrayed by Rami Malek in a stunning performance that earned him a well-deserved Oscar.
A special screening of Aquaman, the 2018 adventure starring Jason Momoa, comes next on Friday, June 25, the only non-Thursday and also non-free offering, presented as a benefit for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Tickets are $20, including a welcome beer from series presenter Pacifico and popcorn from Cantina Bambina next door, or $70 for a group of four.
The July lineup kicks off with Apollo 13 and continues on with Goonies, a screening intended to stir up excitement for the late-summer return of Awesome-Con. The 2013 biopic 42, starring Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson, screens on July 15, two nights after Major League Baseball’s 2021 All-Star Game takes place at Coors Field in Denver.
The month draws to a close with two of the quirkiest comedies out there, 2017’s Girls Trip, featuring Tiffany Haddish in a breakthrough role on July 22, and Best In Show, Christopher Guest’s 2000 mockumentary about the world of dog shows starring Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jane Lynch on July 29.
In August, the Wharf will be a fully bustling area once again, kicking off with a screening of Jersey Boys on August 5th and followed two days later by a live concert at The Anthem, where Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, the 2014 musical drama’s real-life subjects, will take the stage. Ratatouille (Aug. 12), Ford v Ferrari (Aug. 19), and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (Aug. 26) round out the month, with the series ending the Thursday before Labor Day with Mike Judge’s 1999 cult classic parody Office Space.
Films screen after 7:30 p.m. at 970 Wharf St. SW. Free limited-capacity seating with advance registration required. Additional tickets to be released the week of each screening. Visit www.wharfdc.com.
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