Grab your blankets and your favorite movie buff — Film on the Rocks is officially returning to Red Rocks for another season this May. The schedule, released by Denver Film Society, is a jammed-packed lineup of blockbusters and cult favorites. Highlights include the record and barrier breaking Black Panther as well as the newest Star Wars film The Last Jedi.

Classic cult favorites also pepper the lineup, including The Big Lebowski (which returns for its 20th year), The Goonies and Heathers. In addition, a Wes Anderson film makes an appearance with The Grand Budapest Hotel which was chosen via a fan poll. Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore will also round out the lineup with something loveable and lighthearted.

And while the full movie lineup was released (below), the schedule of accompanying bands and comics that typically open each show is not yet public. But for now, check out the schedule before tickets go on sale this Friday, April 20. General admission typically cost $15.


Star Wars: The Last Jedi  – Tuesday, May 15 

Pre-show performances by ITCHY-O, CHURCH FIRE, and comedian ELLIOT WOOLSEY

Director: Rian Johnson
The Lowdown: Directed by Denver’s own Rian Johnson, this latest entry into the Star Wars saga finds Rey developing her Jedi skills under the tutelage of Luke while the Resistance continues to battle the First Order. The Denver Post quoted Johnson saying upon the film’s release, “Denver, in my head, is defined by one horizon always being the mountains. There was always something about looking at those mountains, and this is a little cheesy, but it’s a little like Luke Skywalker looking at the distant two suns in the original (1977 ‘Star Wars’). I’d stare at those mountains and feel like there was adventure out there.” We trust while sitting under the stars as John William’s score reverberates off the Rocks that you’ll feel the same.

10 Things I Hate About You – Monday, June 4

Pre-show performances by OKO TYGRA, Special Guest, and comedian NATHAN LUND

Director: Gil Junger
The Lowdown: 
The cult-classic teen comedy will bring a blast of 90’s nostalgia to Red Rocks this summer; with memorable performances from Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the late Heath Ledger in the film that launched his Academy-Award winning career. In this updated telling of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, popular, pretty Bianca Stratford is in a dilemma — a family rule forbids her from dating until her unpopular, rebellious, boy-hating older sister Kat gets a suitor of her own.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Monday, June 11

Pre-show performances by FLAURAL, LIGHT RACKET, and comedian MIKE STANLEY

Director: Wes Anderson
The Lowdown: Winner of the Film On the Rocks Wes Anderson poll, The Grand Budapest Hotel finds many of the auteur’s closest collaborators (including Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton and Tilda Swinton) filling out his patented ensemble casting. A delightful romp in the snowy mountains of the fictional Republic of Zubrowka, Grand Budapest is an ideal setting for Anderson’s Red Rocks debut. Ralph Fiennes starts as M. Gustave, the legendary concierge, who along with the Lobby Boy Zero, must clear his name of murder.

Heathers – Monday, June 18

Pre-show performances by WILDERMISS, RETROFETTE, and comedian JANAE BURRIS

Director: Michael Lehmann
The Lowdown:
At long last Heathers makes its Red Rocks debut just in time for the film’s 30th anniversary. An 80’s teen rom-com with more bite than your typical John Hughes flick, Heathers launched the careers of Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. So get your clique of Heathers together and catch up with the original before the TV reboot hits the small screen later this year.

The Big Lebowski – Monday, July 9

Pre-show performances by RL COLE & THE HELL YOU SAY, HIGH PLAINS HONKY, and comedian JOSH BLUE

Director: Joel Coen
The Lowdown: Our fan favorite repeat offender, The Big Lebowski returns to Red Rocks for its 20th anniversary! This Coen brothers classic evolved into one of the most beloved cult films of all time over the last 20 years. Grab your favorite robe and catch up with The Dude, Donny and Walter. Naturally, Red Rocks will be serving White Russians for the evening to celebrate.

Happy Gilmore – Monday, July 23

Preshow performances by SCHOOL OF ROCK NATIONAL ALL-STARS and comedian JODEE CHAMPION

Director: Dennis Dugan
The Lowdown: A true cinematic masterpiece, Happy Gilmore stands the test of time as a textbook example of golf course etiquette. Who could possibly discuss classic ’90s comedy without the inclusion of the great Adam Sandler? Go to your “Happy Place,” get the ball in the hole and remember people, this is golf, not a rock concert!

The Goonies – Tuesday, August 7

Preshow performances by STELTH ULVANG’S FETCHING BAND, MORNING BEAR, and comedian TROY WALKER

Director: Richard Donner
The Lowdown: One of the greatest adventure stories of all time, The Goonies returns to Film On the Rocks for a special evening of childhood wonderment and ’80s Spielbergian nostalgia. In a sense, The Goonies is a fore-bearer to Speilberg’s latest pop-culture bonanza, Ready Player One. A pack of adventurous boys on a journey, pirates, a disfigured monster and a set straight out of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride, The Goonies is full of classic cinematic references. As the Hollywood Reporter called it, “The Goonies is a ‘movies movie’”.

Black Panther – Monday, August 13

Preshow performances by REDROCKANDA – A Celebration of Music, Art & Community

Director: Ryan Coogler
The Lowdown: 
To say Black Panther is 2018s runaway success is an understatement. The film is as much of a movement than any other entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Black Panther is a shining example of the role movies can play in our lives. It inspires children, empowers the marginalized, promotes dialogue for complex issues, and all while being one hell of an entertaining thrill ride. The Film On the Rocks season concludes with what has quickly become one of the greatest superhero films of all time.

Movie descriptions provided by Denver Film Society.