Free Wex Drive-In outdoor films return June 18 with Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited

Columbus, OH—Enjoy the big screen under the stars this summer with the return of the always-popular (and always free) Wex Drive-In series, which kicks off Thursday, June 18, on the Wexner Center Plaza with Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited (2007). In the film, three estranged brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) reunite for a train trip across India after not seeing each other for a year following their father’s death. Audience favorite Anderson’s gorgeously shot and poignant film also features Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Natalie Portman, and Barbet Schroeder.

The free admission, open-air series continues Thursday, July 16, with Orson Welles’s final Hollywood film, the sleazy and hugely entertaining noir Touch of Evil. Presented in a meticulous posthumous reconstruction of Welles’s director’s cut, the film features the legendary auteur leading an unforgettable cast including Charlton Heston, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Marlene Dietrich, and Dennis Weaver. On Thursday, August 13, the Wex Drive-In wraps up with John Waters’s raucous and exuberant Cry-Baby, which features Johnny Depp in his first major starring film role. All films are shown on 35mm prints.

Visitors are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs starting at 8 pm; screenings will begin at dusk (around 9 pm). In the event of rain, the films will be shown in Mershon Auditorium at 9 pm.

Heirloom is open late for each Thursday screening, so guests can visit the café before 8 pm to indulge in their menu and their signature drinks. Guests can also enjoy beer from Columbus-based Seventh Son Brewing Company and popcorn from Pam’s Market Popcorn. Mikey’s Late Night Slice will also be on hand serving up slices all night. New this year: the first 15 people to purchase a Wexner Center membership at the Wex Drive-In will receive a package that includes a combination of a Wex travel blanket, t-shirt, vintage Wex Drive-In beverage mug, and two free film passes (up to a $40 value).

Also be sure to check out the Wex’s indoor summer film series The Big Picture: A Summer of 3D, Technicolor, CinemaScope, and 70mm, a ten-film line-up showcasing films that can only be fully experienced in a theater. The series begins Thursday, July 9, with the gripping widescreen epic Zulu (Cy Endfield, 1964). The Big Picture also includes an “expanded cinema” presentation of the Vincent Price-starring William Castle chiller The Tingler (1959) on August 6, and 70mm presentations of the madcap classic It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Stanley Kramer, 1963) on July 10 and 11, and sci-fi cult favorite Tron (Steven Lisberger, 1982) on August 21 and 22. A complete schedule will be available soon.

For additional details on the membership deal, call 614-292-1777 or email membership@wexarts.org and mention “Wex Drive-In.”