Return to the Movies With These Summer Classics
(Updated 08/05/2020)
It's time to go back to the movies! We're excited to welcome guests back to our theatres. Along with a new set of safety procedures which will ensure the safety of all guests and employees, we're happy to present a huge slate of Comeback Classics — movies we know and love, and are thrilled to see on the big screen once again.
We're also kicking off our reopening with a few recent favorites, like the at-long-last sequel BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, and the lively adventure JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL. But let's focus on our slate of Comeback Classics. These movies all look and sound amazing on the big screen. No matter how many times you've seen them, they're never better than when projected in a movie theatre.
Here's the current wave of our Comeback Classics movie lineup. Some theatre schedules may differ based on location. Check your local listing for final lineup.
The Empire Strikes Back
[Image Credit: Lucasfilm]
Original Release Date: May 17, 1980
Director(s): Irvin Kershner
Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz
Why it is a Comeback Classic: After the Rebels are brutally overpowered by the Empire on the ice planet Hoth, Luke Skywalker begins Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader and a bounty hunter named Boba Fett all over the galaxy. The first STAR WARS sequel didn't just stand up to the original movie; it was better in almost every way. With one of the all-time great character reveals and more new aliens and ships than you can shake a lightsaber at, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ensured that STAR WARS would be around for decades to come.
Inside Out
[Image Credit: Pixar]
Original Release Date: June 19, 2015
Director(s): Pete Docter
Stars: Kaitlyn Dias, Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan
Why it is a Comeback Classic: After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school. INSIDE OUT is one of Pixar's most ambitious movies, with a surreal cast of characters who represent the emotions and desires of the girl at the story's center. It is also one of the studio's funniest and most moving films, with surprising and deeply emotional turns, thanks to SOUL director Pete Docter.
Black Panther
[Image Credit: Marvel Studios]
Original Release Date: February 16, 2018
Director(s): Ryan Coogler
Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis
Why it is a Comeback Classic: T'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past. The first movie dedicated entirely to Black Panther and his homeland of Wakanda was a culture-shifting smash when it opened a little over two years ago. BLACK PANTHER set the stage for the two-movie culmination of the AVENGERS saga and established new characters like Shuri, Killmonger and Okoye for fans to follow into the future.
Clueless
[Image Credit: Paramount Pictures]
Original Release Date: July 19, 1995
Director(s): Amy Heckerling
Stars: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Paul Rudd, Dan Hedaya, Brittany Murphy
Why it is a Comeback Classic: This loose adaptation of "Emma" by Jane Austen moves the action to wealthy Beverly Hills, where the pretty and popular Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) decides to offer her services as a makeover artist to Tai Frasier (Brittany Murphy), the uncool new girl in school. CLUELESS captures so much of the '90s, from Tai's style — both before and after Cher "helps her" — to our introduction to Paul Rudd, playing Cher's older brother. Despite being totally rooted in the 1990s, CLUELESS stands as a timeless teen rom-com.
Ghost
[Image Credit: Paramount Pictures]
Original Release Date: July 13, 1990
Director(s): Jerry Zucker
Stars: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, Rick Aviles
Why it is a Comeback Classic: GHOST director Jerry Zucker got his start as part of the team that made comedies like AIRPLANE!, NAKED GUN and HOT SHOTS! movies, but this is a significant departure. The heart of this supernatural romance is the relationship between Molly (Demi Moore) and her banker boyfriend, Sam (Patrick Swayze). When Sam is murdered after looking into mysterious accounts, he finds himself stuck on Earth trying to solve his own murder while also convincing Molly that the presence in her life is truly her departed lover.
The Thing
[Image Credit: Universal Pictures]
Original Release Date: June 25, 1982
Director(s): John Carpenter
Stars: Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T. K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, Joel Polis, Thomas G. Waites
Why it is a Comeback Classic: We don't know what was going on in 1982, but John Carpenter's intense tale of a research team infiltrated by a shape-shifting alien was a box office dud. Thankfully, we've all long since realized that this blast of sci-fi paranoia, complete with gooey practical effects and Kurt Russell's stoic lead performance, is a fantastic masterpiece.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
[Image Credit: Paramount Pictures]
Original Release Date: June 12, 1981
Director(s): Steven Spielberg
Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott
Why it is a Comeback Classic: George Lucas and Steven Spielberg turned inspiration from old movie serials into a whip-cracking and sharply funny adventure. Harrison Ford's true star-making movie features run-ins with ancient traps, Biblical powers and a whole bunch of Nazis.
Jurassic Park
[Image Credit: Universal Pictures]
Original Release Date: June 11, 1993
Director(s): Steven Spielberg
Stars: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, BD Wong, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Joseph Mazzello, and Ariana Richards
Why it is a Comeback Classic: JURASSIC PARK was a revelation. We had seen dinosaurs and other fantastic beasts on the big screen before, but never like this. Using a combination of computer-generated animation and practical effects by the wizard Stan Winston, director Steven Spielberg brought the impossible to life. Nearly 30 years later, the effects in JURASSIC PARK — and therefore all the tension and emotional payoffs — still hit with the force of a rampaging T-Rex.