LAKEMOOR — Not only will McHenry Outdoor Theater fans have the chance to enjoy the brand new “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” this April, they’ll also have a shot at playing some Mario Bros. games on the theater’s 100-foot-wide, five-story-tall screen.

Scott Dehn, owner of the theater at 1510 N. Chapel Hill Road, Lakemoor, and Joe Cicero, president of marketing and promotions, said pairing the rare, giant-screen gaming opportunity with the latest Mario movie installment is the perfect kick-off to to the drive-in's 2026 season, which starts Friday, April 3.

“To sit there and play games on a screen as big as what we have at the Outdoor, it’s like being a little kid again,” said Cicero, who, along with Dehn, noted that it’s a treat previously known only to a handful of employees and close friends.

To become eligible, customers visiting during the weekends “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is playing should look for a QR code on-site. Follow the code link to a form and sign up. Winners’ names will be drawn two at a time in 10- or 15-minute game-play intervals after the movie, now scheduled as a solo feature for April 3-4, 10-11 and 17-18.

“There’s nothing like taking the controls after seeing one of your favorite games projected onto that huge screen,” Dehn said. “To share that with customers is going to be a really cool experience — even for those who simply stay to watch.”

Also really cool is the sheer volume of blockbusters on deck for the 2026 season. Films expected to spark excitement include the Michael Jackson biopic, “Michael,” the latest Star Wars installment, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” and “Toy Story 5.”

The world’s pre-eminent web-wielder returns this July in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” Also returning to the big screen will be those copiously sunny, bespectacled beans in “Minions & Monsters,” while “Masters of the Universe” is sure to wow crowds, and Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” promises an epic worthy of the biggest screen around.

“This is by far the most stacked season I’ve ever seen,” said Dehn. “The summer movie season always has its tent-pole features. But very rarely do you get this much in the way of back-to-back, name-recognition intellectual properties. It’s unprecedented — one right after another.”

Cicero agreed that Outdoor fans will have plenty to cheer on the big screen this year.

And customers can enjoy the 2026 blockbusters at 2025 prices. Tickets will remain $15 per adult and $10 per child ages 4 to 12, with kids 3 and younger free.

A great way to save is the McHenry Outdoor 2026 season pass, available now at goldenagecinemas.com. Once the seven-days-a-week portion of the season resumes after Memorial Day, $15-per-carload specials will be back each Tuesday and Thursday. The Reel Deal Pizza Meal also will return on Mondays. And on Sundays, the new Dog Deals of Summer will beckon with $2 hot dogs.

Speaking of dogs, the McHenry Outdoor is dog-friendly. Well-behaved, leashed canines are welcome — at the Fido-favorite price of a tail wag.