THUNDER BAY -- Two wildly popular movies from two completely different generations will be featured during the spring edition of the city’s popular Movie Nights in the Park outdoor screenings.
Laura Montgomery, a recreation and culture programmer with the City of Thunder Bay, said the 1982 classic Blade Runner and last year’s Oscar-winning Mad Max: Fury Road were chosen by voters during a recent online poll.
“We come up with a long list of movies and discuss it and cut it down to a short list we think will be very exciting. Then we put it out to the public for a vote,” Montgomery said.
More than 1,000 people took part in this year’s vote, she added.
It’s a combination of nostalgia for some and uniqueness for others that makes Movie Night in the Park such a popular event.
“I think the experience of being outside to watch a movie is such a fun thing and it’s so beautiful here at Marina Park. We have a great scenery for it and a great space, so it’s good to get the community out for a good time together.”
Blade runner, starring Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, is a science fiction classic directed by Ridley Scott that tells the tale of a dystopian future in Los Angeles in which Ford’s character Rick Deckard hunts down illegal replicants.
Mad Max: Fury Road was a much-anticipated, long-awaited sequel to the Mel Gibson franchise, starring Tom Hardy as the title character.
The film won six Academy Awards and was also nominated for best picture, losing out to Spotlight.
Montgomery said they dropped the number of spring films to two this year to allow for a Halloween event in October.
Voting for the more family-friendly summer Movie Night in the Park will be opening soon.
Movie Nights in the Park will held on May 20 and May 27.