Opening night for this year’s Paramount Summer Classic Film Series: a double bill of Casablanca and Breathless

Rebels, oil tycoons, and great big sharks are all coming to the Paramount as the Grand Dame of Congress has announced the opening week of screenings for its annual Summer Classic Film Series.

Beginning May 22, the series will stretch into the autumn, and provide an incredible education in film history for the young and a trip down memory lane for more seasoned viewers. Tickets are available now at austintheatre.org: Individual seats are $15 for adults, which includes double features, but a Flix-Tix book of 10 tickets will cost you only $90, with extra discounts for Film Fan Club members.

Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca

• May 22: The season opens with a classic double bill of intrigue, romance, and great hats, starting with traditional series opener and all-time anti-Nazi mainstay Casablanca followed (just in time for its 65th anniversary) by Breathless, Jean-Luc Godard’s seminal entry in the French New Wave canon.

Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Goldblum in Into the Night

• May 24: What’s summer without some time on the beach? Well, if you can’t get in your water wings at least you can watch the original blockbuster, Jaws, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Then stick around as Robert Rodriguez gets weird with two of his favorite flicks for insomniacs, both celebrating their 40th anniversary. Representing the East Coast there’s Martin Scorsese’s SoHo escapade After Hours, while California is the setting for diamond heist hijinks in Into the Night, starring Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer. This will be the first of five double bills hosted by Rodriguez across the summer season. Expect surprise guests and fascinating behind-the-scenes stories.

Mark Hamill and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

• May 25: The greatest sci-fi film ever made? Maybe. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back makes the jump to light speed as the first screening in the Family Film Series.

Meanwhile, family may be an important part of the story, but maybe leave the kids at home for an evening screening of Paul Thomas Anderson’s reimagining of Upton Sinclair’s masterpiece, Oil!, the Oscar-winning There Will Be Blood.

Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara in Best in Show

• May 28: Another double bill, and another night of glorious 35mm, but this time it’s twice the laughter, with two all-timers from master of satire Christopher Guest, Best in Show and the Texas-shot Waiting for Guffman.

This is just the opening week of screenings, with plenty more movies to be announced before the season starts.

This article appears in April 4 • 2025.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.