Spy Kids 25th Anniversary Screening with Robert Rodriguez

The Paramount Theatre in Austin is set to mark the 25th anniversary of “Spy Kids” on Saturday, May 23, with a screening of the 2001 film and an appearance tied to director Robert Rodriguez. The downtown theater lists the event as part of its 2026 Summer Classic Film Series, which opens over Memorial Day weekend. Paramount’s ticket page says doors open at 2 p.m. and the show begins at 3 p.m. The program is billed as a special engagement, and the theater says film passes and Flix-Tix will not be accepted. ### What exactly is happening at the Paramount on May 23? Saturday’s event centers on a 25th-anniversary screening of “Spy Kids,” the family action film Rodriguez wrote and directed. Paramount’s event listing says the screening will be followed by a live performance by Robert Rodriguez’s Family Spy Band. Visit Austin’s event calendar carries the same schedule and describes the program as a one-day event at the Paramount Theatre on Congress Avenue. (tickets.austintheatre.org) The film is listed as an 88-minute DCP presentation of the 2001 release. Paramount’s ticket page names the cast as Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa PenaVega, Daryl Sabara, Alan Cumming, Teri Hatcher, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Robert Patrick and Tony Shalhoub. ### Is Robert Rodriguez speaking, performing, or just attending? Paramount’s public event language points to a performance rather than only a post-screening appearance. (tickets.austintheatre.org) The theater says the screening is “followed by a Live Performance by Robert Rodriguez’s Family Spy Band,” and local event listings repeat that description. None of the event pages reviewed for this story specified a separate Q&A session or onstage interview. Austin-area guides have framed Rodriguez as the draw for the anniversary program. Community Impact described the screening as part of Paramount’s opening weekend and said it would include a live concert featuring Rodriguez’s Family Spy Band. City Cast Austin likewise said Rodriguez would perform with his band after the movie. (tickets.austintheatre.org) ### How does this fit into the Memorial Day weekend lineup? The Paramount Theatre says the “Spy Kids” screening is part of its 2026 Summer Classic Film Series, which it describes as a returning Austin tradition. The series page says the 2026 lineup includes 14 screenings on 35mm, special guests and, for the first time, IMAX presentations at the Bullock Museum IMAX Theatre. (beta2.communityimpact.com) Memorial Day weekend coverage in Austin has placed the event alongside other opening-weekend classic-film titles. Community Impact said the series opens with films including “Casablanca” and “The Maltese Falcon,” while Austin Monthly’s weekend guide surfaced the “Spy Kids” event as one of its recommended holiday-weekend picks. (austintheatre.org) ### Why is the anniversary landing in 2026? “Spy Kids” was released in 2001, and the Paramount listing explicitly bills the May 23 program as a 25th-anniversary screening. Local coverage has tied the event to the film’s quarter-century mark and to Rodriguez’s long association with Austin filmmaking. The Austin Chronicle said the anniversary arrives as the film that helped expand Rodriguez’s profile into family entertainment. (beta2.communityimpact.com) That characterization came from the Chronicle’s preview of the event, which described “Spy Kids” as the movie that launched a multigenerational franchise. (tickets.austintheatre.org) ### What do attendees need to know before they go? Paramount’s ticket page lists the venue as the Paramount Theatre and labels the program a “Special Engagement.” Visit Austin says tickets start at $10-plus, though final pricing depends on seat selection through the theater’s box office. The next step for moviegoers is Saturday, May 23, at 713 Congress Avenue in Austin. (austinchronicle.com) Paramount’s schedule says doors open at 2 p.m., the screening starts at 3 p.m., and full event details are available through the theater’s Summer Classic Film Series listings. (tickets.austintheatre.org)