MBTA Teams Up With Movie Theaters to Promote Late-Night Films, Service

Photo by Chelsea Kyle

Want to see Mean Girls at midnight? How about dancing in the aisles of the movie theater during a screening of the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Thanks to the MBTA and four local movie venues, you can.

The MBTA announced Wednesday that it’s formed partnerships with theaters in Brookline, Cambridge, and Boston so that special showings of certain films will let out at the same time that the T’s new late-night bus and train services depart from nearby stations at the end of the evening.

On Friday, September 26, and Saturday, September 27, the MBTA will kick-off a special series called the “Late Night Arts,” where four area theaters will host midnight viewings of films like Wayne’s World, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and The Breakfast Club. The full schedule of events can be seen below.

The series is a collaborative effort between the MBTA, the venues, and Boston’s “Late Night Task Force,” a hand-picked team of leaders formed by Mayor Marty Walsh as a way to come up with ideas to pump life into the city’s after hours scene.

“The success of the MBTA’s extended hours underscores the interest in these initiatives. The ‘Late Night Arts’ programming is a creative and entertaining way to engage those who are living, studying, and working in Boston,” Walsh said in a statement.

The T has seen continued success with the late-night pilot program they launched back in March. Since its inception, more than 500,000 people have utilized the system on the weekends between 12:30 a.m. and 3 a.m., and the numbers are still rolling in.

“We encourage riders to take a bus or the subway and enjoy a movie this weekend,” said MassDOT secretary and CEO Rich Davey.

While this series is new, Kendall Square Cinema, one of the theaters that will be showing the midnight films in partnership with the T, has already been taking advantage of the new services. Back in April, the theater announced that they were extending their hours on the weekends so that film times would coincide with the last trains out of Kendall station.

Coolidge Corner Theater has also benefitted from the new late-night Green Line trolleys that stop just steps away from its doors.

In the coming weeks, the MBTA said it will continue to work with Walsh’s special task force and other entities to come up with additional ways to promote the after hours pilot program.

The full schedule can be seen below:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show
AMC Loews Boston Common
Saturday, September 27, 11:59 p.m.

The Breakfast Club
Kendall Square Cinema
Friday, September 26, 11:59 p.m.
Saturday, September 27, 11:59 p.m.

The Boxer’s Omen
The Brattle Theatre
Saturday, September 27, 11:30 p.m.

The Room and Wayne’s World
Coolidge Corner Theatre
Friday, September 26, 11:59 p.m.

Johnny Cupcakes Presents: Mean Girls and Wayne’s World
Coolidge Corner Theatre
Saturday 27, 11:59 p.m.