I want to see a movie in IMAX.
There is one true IMAX in New York City, at AMC Lincoln Square 13. (A true IMAX projects 15-perf 70mm film onto a screen with a 1.43:1 aspect ratio.) At 97 x 76 feet, it is the biggest screen in North America. Sit around M24.
I want to see a movie on 35mm.
Your one-stop shop for all 35mm screenings (and 16mm and 70mm) is Analog Film NYC. The MVPs here are the Anthology Film Archives, Film Forum, MoMA, Nitehawk, and the Roxy Cinema (best seats three rows from the screen). The Seward Library Branch of the NYPL also has regular, free screenings on 16mm.
I want to be served food and drink during the movie.
The Alamo Drafthouse has three locations, one in Downtown Brooklyn, another in Lower Manhattan, and a third in Staten Island. The Nitehawk has two: one in Williamsburg and the other in Prospect Park.
I want to go to an old-fashioned movie palace.
Since the closure of the Ziegfeld in 2016, the Paris Theater has been the last single-screen movie theater open to the public in New York City. It includes both orchestra and balcony seating. Though owned by Netflix, the Paris has a good deal of revival screenings, often paired with a new release.
I want to see a classic.
This is where New York is really an embarrassment of riches. Film Forum has regular retrospectives programmed by Bruce Goldstein: in the last few months alone, this has included programs of Billy Wilder, Yasujirō Ozu, and Harold Lloyd. The Anthology Film Archives’ Essential Cinema series draws on their collection of 35mm prints and only costs $9. Nitehawk Prospect Park has a Classic Pictures series, and Village East‘s Classics in Black and White runs once a month.
I want to see a cult movie.
Nitehawk’s Ridiculous Sublime (programmed by Cristina Cacioppo), Late Round, The Deuce (programmed by Joe Berger and Jeff Cashvan), and Midnite Movies series are staples. Weird Wednesday at the Alamo Drafthouse (programmed by Liz Purchell) focuses on queer exploitation. The IFC Center, site of the Waverly Theater, screens several midnight movies every weekend. If Eraserhead and El Topo are too mainstream for you, the Spectacle has maintained its $5 admission price for at least a decade.
And of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is still going strong, though the performers only go on the first and third Saturday of each month.
I want to go to a drive-in.
The best drive-in movie theaters are outside the city. If you can rent a car, make your way to Lehighton, PA for the Mahoning Drive-In, which screens everything in 35mm.
If you’re stuck in the city, you don’t even need a car for the Skyline Drive-In, where you can watch movies in Williamsburg against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. For drive-ins across the state (and the country), make sure to consult Authentic Drive-In Theaters, maintained by The United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association (UDITOA).
I want to see a new release in a quiet theater.
Perhaps because it’s not located in a residential area, the Regal Battery Park is often empty, especially in the middle of a weekday.
Best Weird Movies 