Here’s How to See Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure at Metrocenter Mall Before It's Torn Down

Phoenix’s legendary Metrocenter mall will get a most excellent farewell next month before it's demolished, and it's going to feature the film that made it world-famous.

Harkins Theatres is teaming with the city of Phoenix to present a screening of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure — the 1989 sci-fi comedy that was partially filmed at Metrocenter — in the mall’s parking lot.

Meghan Bowman, a Harkins spokesperson, told Phoenix New Times the screening is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, May 21. Further details are “still in the works” and will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Bill & Ted’s screening will coincide with a farewell party for Metrocenter, which closed for business in 2020 and is set to be torn down this summer. The 70-acre property will reportedly be redeveloped into multifamily housing, restaurants, retail spaces, and a park.

Back in 1987, the mall was one of several metro Phoenix businesses where Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure — which respectively starred Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves as protagonists Bill S. Preston, Esq., and “Ted” Theodore Logan — was filmed. Valley landmarks like Mesa’s Golfland Sunsplash and Coronado High School in Scottsdale stood in for locations in San Dimas, California, the setting for the movie.
In the case of Metrocenter, it became the San Dimas Mall, a place where Abraham Lincoln, Socrates, Billy the Kid, and other historical figures recruited by Bill and Ted killed some time. The scenes are a time capsule of Metrocenter at the height of its popularity when it was brimming with shops, people, and attractions like its famed ice rink.

As seen in the film, the characters also got into a chaos-filled romp through the mall, including Genghis Khan trashing a sporting goods store, Joan of Arc taking over a fitness class, and Beethoven performing in a piano store.

The Bill & Ted screening at Metrocenter won’t be the first time Harkins Theatres has paid tribute to a Valley business seen in the film. Last year, the flick was shown outside of the now-defunct Circle K location at Hardy Drive and Baselines Road in Tempe, which was also prominently featured in the movie, prior to its closure.

According to Bowman, the Metrocenter screening will feature a similar setup with outdoor seating and a food truck selling popcorn, beverages, and other snacks.