(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The newly renovated State Theatre New Jersey has announced the return of the Free Summer Movies Series. Movies featured in this year’s series include Raya and the Last Dragon on July 19, Luca on July 26, Space Jam: A New Legacy on August 2, Encanto on August 9, and In the Heights on August 16. Showings for Raya and the Last Dragon, Luca, Space Jam, and Encanto will be at 10:30am and 7:00pm. The movie In the Heights will have a single showing at 7:00pm. All movie screenings will include Spanish subtitles. 

Tickets are FREE, but registration is required. Groups of 20 or more or those planning a bus trip, please email education@stnj.org  

The entire series is free of charge to the community, offering young people the chance to enjoy these films, whether with their families, summer camps, or other groups. The movies will be shown at the historic and newly renovated State Theatre New Jersey, a 1921 movie palace that has become one of New Jersey’s premier venues for live performance. The State Theatre’s state-of-the-art HD digital cinema projection system includes a 46’ Stewart film screen, a Barco projector, and digital surround sound.  

For more information call State Theatre Guest Services at 732-246-SHOW (7469) or visit online at STNJ.org. State Theatre Guest Services, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open by phone and email only, Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 5pm. For in-person purchases, Guest Services is open Tuesday through Friday from 12pm to 4:30pm. Additional ticket and transaction fees may apply. 

After major renovations, State Theatre New Jersey has reopened and celebrated its 100th Anniversary in December 2021 in a fully renovated theater including newly renovated lobbies, all new restrooms, upgraded HVAC systems, a new elevator for access to all levels, and brand-new theater seats. Originally built as a silent film and vaudeville palace, State Theatre’s historic significance was honored by PBS by featuring it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the fall of 2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be streamed online.

Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed more than six million people through its doors since reopening as a non-profit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have featured high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tony Bennett, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances. 

State Theatre New Jersey’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.