by Kasia Romanowska 

The season of the outdoor movies is coming to an end. But don’t be shocked if you see a gigantic inflatable screen in the middle of Fordham Road one last time.

Instead, bring a lawn chair, snacks, and good company to enjoy the last days of summer viewing under the stars with a free film showing in Fordham, courtesy of the Fordham Road Business Improvement District.

This year’s final flick, The Lego Movie is the first theatrical LEGO adventure film featuring the voices of Will Ferrell and Liam Neeson. It will be screened at Muller Park & Plaza on Fordham Road and Creston Avenue on Friday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

The free film initiative started last year after the Fordham Road Business Improvement District (BID), the ad hoc commercial agency that manages the movie series, won the Neighborhood Challenge grant from the city Department of Small Business Services. The grant helped the BID create the Summer Movie Series, part of a pilot project that offered Bronxites family friendly films. The movie experience is akin to that seen in Manhattan’s Bryant Park, where hundreds regularly turned up for free classics.

In the Bronx, the Summer Movie Series kicked off with four films seen throughout the summer last year. In April, July and September a few hundred people had the chance to watch The Amazing Spider-Man, Brave or Despicable Me.

The production of the free movie series is about as hectic as producing a movie.

“There’s a lot of background that goes into it. You have to get permits, approvals and copyrights,” said Daniel Bernstein, co-executive director of the Fordham BID.

It can take a few months to organize the whole event. The BID is also a host of many other community events, such as A Bronx Storytelling and Music Festival at Poe Park or Fordham Fever Friday. The services, particularly the movie events, have been part of the commercial agency’s “Taste of the BID” initiative. It’s intended to entice non-BID property owners to be affiliated with the BID and to help “expand the boundaries to improve this location.”

“And that was successful,” Bernstein added. Early this summer, over 100 moviegoers came to see Frozen, the Disney computer-animated musical comedy.

Turnout surprised even the organizers. The Summer Movie Series caps a relatively successful time for the Fordham BID, now on the heels of including the massive One Fordham Plaza office tower to its boundaries, continuing its status as the borough’s biggest BID. Roughly 300 stores make up the BID, with national chains abutting family-owned small businesses.

For more information about the latest movie event, log on to www.fordhamroadbid.com.