Blockbusters galore, special events and value options on tap for visitors in 2025
LAKEMOOR — A bounty of blockbusters. Special star, genre and director tribute weekends. Fabulously fun events for dog lovers, thrill seekers, holiday film enthusiasts and so much more.
Add to that discount specials, influencer family fun and even charitable snacking opportunities — all on the iconic outdoor theater grounds east of McHenry — and you’ve got big smiles (and a few screams) on the horizon. And a not-too-distant horizon at that.
For the second consecutive spring, the theater at 1510 Chapel Hill Road will open far earlier than in years past. This season’s opening date is set for Friday, March 21, with the debut of Disney’s new “Snow White,” a live-action adaptation of the 1937 classic.
After that, the theater will be open Fridays and Saturdays until Memorial Day weekend, when the seven-days-a-week portion of the season starts, said Joe Cicero, president of marketing and promotions for the theater.
Cicero said he could not be more excited about all of the special activities and collaborations he and theater owner Scott Dehn are planning for 2025. Also especially exciting is the movie outlook now that a backlog created by the pandemic and writers’ and actors’ strikes is clearing, he said.
“It’s like a movie lovers’ dream,” Cicero said. “We’ve got ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts*,’ the new, live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ and ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ films, ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ Superman,’ ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and ‘Bad Guys 2,’ just to name a handful.”
Theater owner Scott Dehn agreed, noting the big screen will glow with stars like Jack Black, Hannah Waddingham, Gerard Butler, Scarlett Johansson, Nicholas Hoult, Pedro Pascal and Sam Rockwell.
“It’s like the blockbuster floodgates have opened,” he said. “It’s just an especially spectacular year for a lot of highly anticipated movies. And we can’t wait to welcome families back to our beautiful setting to enjoy them.”
Dehn added he has his fingers crossed that this season’s planned debut goes more smoothly than in 2024, when a late March snowstorm canceled opening night.
“Last year, we tempted fate by featuring ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ for opening weekend. This year, we’re opening with ‘Snow White,’ so don’t anyone jinx us by putting your shovels away too early,” he joked.
Beyond opening weekend, Cicero said special activities and opportunities slated this year include the Bremer Team – Keller Williams Success Realty Easter Egg Hunt, a John Hughes weekend including triple features of his most treasured films, a Mean Girls weekend, Robin Williams weekend, Dog Lovers’ weekend, Reel Deal Pizza Meals, carload nights, closed caption nights for the hard of hearing, Build an Outdoor Survival Kit Sundays and Project Popcorn, an initiative to give back to area charities “one kernel at a time.”
Complete details, including dates, showtimes, information about scheduling a group event and more can be found at goldenagecinemas.com.
“We are so excited about giving families an opportunity to enjoy some time outside making special memories throughout the season, and helping them to get a great value for their entertainment buck,” Cicero said. “It’s going to be a fantastic year.”