Would you rather watch “Jaws” on the big screen with your toes in the sand or “Despicable Me” poolside with a dozen eight-year-olds? Outdoor movie projector company “Movies in the Moonlight” can make either happen.
Movies in the Moonlight operator Frank Zagarino makes his big screens available for events ranging from birthday parties to corporate events anywhere from New Jersey to the East End.
The screens range in size from 5′ by 8′ to 15′ by 25′ and can entertain anyone from six dinner party guests to more than 3,000 people at a public event.
Unlike the inflatable screens used by many of his competitors, Zagarino, a father of three who lives in Laurel, custom built screen frames to avoid the noise of an air blower.
“All my screens are dead silent,” said Zagarino, who also works as a personal trainer at Maximus Health and Fitness in downtown Riverhead.
To turn out a large crowd, Zagarino recommends keeping an event free and instead selling sponsorships and concessions to recoup costs.
An actor and film producer, Zagarino was inspired to start his business after seeing an outdoor movie on Love Lane in Mattituck (he can’t recall which film) in 2008. [Check out this awesome feature about his time as a B-movie action superstar.]
“I love it,” he said. “When it’s a beautiful night out, it’s an experience like no other.”
Customers request a wide range of movies from beloved classics like “The Goonies” to new favorites like Disney’s “Frozen.” Zagarino provides the DVD.
The business typically shows movies from May until late October. Zagarino also has an FM transmitter and can host drive-in movies.
He will be showing outdoor movies on Saturdays in Long Beach this summer and plans to put two screens back to back and double the previous attendance of about 3,000.
Although advance reservations are advised, Zagarino can book a birthday party the day of the event so long as he has an available screen.
“I can do an event for 3,000 people and take all my equipment in a Prius,” he said.
Call 631-404-5269 for rates.
