Baltimore, Maryland: Outdoor Movies and Films on the Pier at Fells Point

Baltimore's 5th Regiment Armory hosted Movies at the Armory, a free outdoor movie series on the armory grounds throughout summer 2008. The series was presented by 1st Mariner Arena and the Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks.

Programmers drew a line between the series and drive-in nostalgia: the goal was to bring people to an underused public space, not replicate a lost format. “We want to create a community gathering space where families can come and enjoy themselves for free,” said the Recreation Department's director. Earlier in the summer, a night showing of The Dark Knight at a Manhattan rooftop drew a crowd of 500, with hundreds turned away -- a signal of broad appetite for outdoor urban screenings.