Batman ’89 Movie Screenings All Retro Con Weekend!
“Where does he get those wonderful toys?” (Psst! At Retro Con!)
Oaks Center Cinema will also be hosting screenings of the 1989 classic ‘Batman’ starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson all Retro Con weekend! Three chances to check it out! September 5th, 6th, and 7th, start time 8:40pm.
Oaks Center Cinema is located diagonally from the Greater Philly Expo Center, and is in the same building previously occupied by Regal Cinemas on Mill Road. So if Retro Con is over for the day and someone stole your balloons, but you don’t want the party to stop… head over to the cinema! And best off all, Oaks Center’s Throwback Movie Series is only $5 a ticket! Love that Joker!
Tickets will be available at the box office, but can also be purchased in advance here:
https://www.oakscenter.net/movie/batman-1989
And a reminder that Spaceballs will be showing at 6:30pm the same evenings. That’s right, it’s the Dark Helmet followed by the Dark Knight!
“Now you wanna get nuts?!? Come on! Let’s get nuts…”
Spaceballs Movie Screenings Retro Con Weekend!
“Dear me. What are those things coming out of her nose?”
“…Spaceballs??”
“Oh $*!#. There goes the planet…”
Spaceballs: The Retro Screening! Our friends over at Oaks Center Cinema will once again be hosting retro movie nights the weekend of Retro Con!! Catch the Mel Brooks classic Spaceballs that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening at 6:30pm! In fact, they have showings scheduled for an entire week. So if you’ve every yearned to see Spaceballs on the big screen for seven nights straight, now’s your chance! =D
Oaks Center Cinema is located diagonally from the Greater Philly Expo Center, and is in the same building previously occupied by Regal Cinemas on Mill Road. So if Retro Con is over for the day and you’re finished playing with your dolls again, but you don’t want the party to stop… head over to the cinema! And best off all, Oaks Center’s Throwback Movie Series is only $5 a ticket!
Tickets will be available at the box office, but can also be purchased in advance here:
https://www.oakscenter.net/movie/spaceballs
Why the 6:30pm start time and not a bit later you ask?? Fair question. It’s because they plan to show TWO different movies the weekend of Retro Con! Stay tuned for the follow-up post!
Meet Dirk Benedict at Retro Con 2025!
The man with the cigar is coming back… please welcome the one and only Dirk Benedict to Retro Con 2025, September 6th & 7th in Oaks, Pennsylvania!
Dirk has two iconic roles in the retro realm.
He played charming rogue Lieutenant Starbuck on the popular 1978 sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica! Colonial Warrior and Viper pilot, Starbuck was one of the most popular characters on the show. He was featured in every episode of the original show, as well as a stand-out episode of Galactica 1980 where he teamed up with a Cylon (nicknamed “Cy”) while stranded on a distant planet.
And of course Dirk played smooth-talking hustler Templeton Peck, better known as “Face”, on the long-running 80’s TV phenomenon The A-Team! The most averse to violence, and often the most sensible one of the group, Face preferred to serve as the team’s con-man to procure needed intel and supplies during their missions. Often while driving around in his fancy white and red Corvette convertible!
You may have also seen Dirk in movies such as 1973’s ‘Sssssss’, Scavenger Hunt (1979), and Body Slam (1986)!
Dirk doesn’t get to many shows in the area, so don’t miss your chance to meet the man himself at Retro Con 2025!!
A huge Thank You to RetroDaze, whose generous donation made this guest addition possible! Check out their newest endeavor: The Cryptid Corps!
Galactic Empire Concert Tickets Now Live!
Tickets are NOW LIVE for the Retro Con 2025 After Party featuring Galactic Empire w/ DJ Q-Ball!!
The after party is being handled by Arnold’s Family Fun Center and their concert venue Water Tower Live.
Don’t forget, use code “retroconz” (no quotes) at check-out to get $5 off!
https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/arnoldsatthefactory/galactic-empire-with-special-guest-dj-q-ball-o-retrocon-2025-after-party
Meet the CHiPs Cast at Retro Con 2025!
Don’t miss the CHiPs reunion at Retro Con 2025!! Erik Estrada, Robert Pine, and Larry Wilcox (aka, Ponch, Sarge, and Jon) will all be in attendance!
Autographs/Table Photos/Pro Photos available both days, a Q&A panel on Sunday, and two independent events as well! Pro Photo pre-purchase links will go up about three weeks before showtime.
For info on the extra events, head to:
Galactic Empire After Party on Saturday September 6th!
Our friends over at Arnold’s at the Factory will be handling the official Retro Con afterparty this year, and they are bringing in the ULTIMATE power in the universe… The mighty Galactic Empire is coming to Oaks Pennsylvania, At The Water Tower Live, to throw a Retro Con After Party of GALACTIC proportions!
Galactic Empire is the galaxy’s foremost instrumental Star Wars cosplay heavy metal John Williams tribute band. Their first music video was a viral hit, gaining over 10 million views with national press coverage! The band has released two full-length albums with Rise Records, along with four more music videos. They’ve toured extensively, headlining multiple national and overseas tours, including Canada, Europe, Japan, and Australia, along with appearances at major festivals, comic cons, sporting events, and supporting arena acts Ozzy Osbourne and Babymetal!
Joining them will be the special guest DJ Q-Ball of Bloodhound Gang fame, who will be slinging a great mix of killer retro hits. Prepare for an evening of most impressive heavy metal and Retro Vibes. There’ll be no one to stop us this time!
CONCERT TICKETS ON SALE: FRIDAY, JULY 18, at 12:00PM EST!
We have a special discount code for supporters of Retro Con. Use code “retroconz” at check-out to get a discount on your purchase. This code has a limited amount of uses, so don’t delay! You can waste time with your friends when your chores are finished…
Doors: 7:00 PM | Music: 8:00 PM
��Sly Fox Beer Happy Hour 7:00PM – 9:00PM
Tickets:
$20 Retro Con Patrons (use Limited Discount Code “retroconz”)
$25 Advance (general admission)
$28 Day of Show (if available)
All Ages Event / 21+ to drink w/ Proper ID
Website: https://galacticempireband.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/07uYEzcM2ZbY0XacOINjUY
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galacticempireofficial/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/galacticempireofficial
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@galacticempireband
Retro Con 2025 Retro T-shirt Contest!
Contests are always a big part of the show! First up…
Show off those cool geek threads like our group of cover models here! Our very own Retro T-shirt Contest makes its return for Retro Con 2025!
A longstanding tradition at fan gatherings is attendees wearing t-shirts expressing their favorite characters and brands. We’ve turned this into a unique contest to win free stuff! Retro Con’s T-shirt contest will be held in the panel room on Saturday at the show, and we want to see YOUR Saturday best! Your T-shirt can be vintage, new, or custom made. As long as it’s retro-related (90’s properties and back), you’re welcome to enter!
No sign-ups required, just show up prior to contest start time (to be announced very soon).
Prizes this year include a NECA Ultimate 80’s ALF action figure, a large NECA Spider Gremlin, and for First Place a Transformers Generation Selects Trypticon!
A big thanks as always to our very good friend Mike Breaux from the Breaux Show for hosting the fun! And a reminder that Retro Con now in *Hall A* and we now have a dedicated panel room! It’s attached to our main lead-in hallway (right next to the front ticket booths).
**Contest Rules**
1: No water will be involved. ;P
2: You must wear your t-shirt at the contest.
3. The contest is open to anyone at Retro Con wearing a t-shirt with a retro-oriented logo or print on it (90’s properties or older). Examples include: movies, cartoons, comics, tv shows, toy lines, company logos, mascots, music bands, sports, and more!
4. There are no sign-ups needed. Interested contestant can line up outside the panel room prior to the contest start time. (Start time to be determined soon!)
5. T-Shirts can be vintage, new, or custom-made.
6. Only actual t-shirts can be entered. Sorry, no sweatshirts, jackets, snuggies, jerseys, hoodies, long-sleeve shirts, etc..
7. The Retro Con t-shirt contest is a family-friendly event! Tees with overly sexual/graphic imagery or crude language will not be allowed.
8. We’ll allow a small group to enter as one contestant if they have t-shirts associated with each other.
9. The contest will be slated for about 30 minutes. Hosts will ask questions to the contestants on-hand, after which they will pick approximately 10 entrants to be finalists.
10. After our Finalists are picked, they will be asked to go to the front of the Panel area. An additional round of questions, along with some audience participation, will determine our 3 winners!
Robert Pine joins our CHiPs Reunion at Retro Con 2025!
Look alive, the Sarge is coming to town! Just added to our CHiPs reunion at Retro Con 2025 is esteemed actor Robert Pine!
Robert is best known for playing Ponch and Jon’s no-nonsense supervisor Sgt. Joe Getraer on the late 70’s/early 80’s television staple CHiPs! He played “Sarge” in all 6 seasons of the original show, and would reprise the character in the late 90’s tv movie CHiPs ’99, now as CHP Commissioner. While often appearing strict on his officers, particularly the impulsive Ponch, he was also shown to be a caring and supportive leader, and displayed clear concern when they were in trouble.
Robert has appeared in too many tv shows and movies to list, but some notables include Independence Day, Empire of the Ants, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Quantum Leap, MacGyver, Magnum PI, ALF, Knight Rider, The Love Boat, Gunsmoke, Lost in Space, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, the Office, Castle, Parks and Recreation, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and numerous Hallmark channel originals!
The CHP’s finest are looking forward to meeting you! Robert Pine joins his CHiPs co-stars Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox at Retro Con, September 6th & 7th at the Greater Philly Expo Center in Oaks, PA! Autographs, tables photos, and pro photos (with all three actors) will all be available! The trio will also be having a Q&A panel on Sunday!
And lastly, the CHiPs cast’s representative at the show (Jodi Ritzen) will also be hosting two post-convention special events with the trio the same weekend of the show! More info can be found on her website:
https://celebrityspecialevents.com/
See a Screen-Used KITT at Retro Con 2025!
They were at our show back in 2022, and now the Knight Rider Historians will be making a “shadowy RETURN flight” for Retro Con 2025, September 6th & 7th in Oaks, PA!
The agents at Knight Rider Historians are dedicated to promoting the legacy of Knight Rider in all forms. From interviews with cast and crew, to episode commentaries, to unraveling show mysteries, to tracking down and preserving screen-used props from the series. They’re currently in the midst of their restoration of the screen-used FLAG semi and trailer, and they’re documenting every single aspect of it on their youtube channel!
KRH will be joining us at Retro Con, and bringing a screen-used KITT with them! They brought their amazing Season 3 stunt car to our show in 2022, and this year their plan is to bring along their OTHER screen-used KITT, known as the “Back-up to the Hero” car!
No matter when you discovered Knight Rider, this is likely the first KITT you’ve ever seen! It’s the exact car from the opening seconds of the show intro, when the car is racing towards the camera in the desert, transitioning to the show title! It’s one of the first 3 cars secured by show creator Glen Larson to film the Pilot, and was used in every episode in the first 2 seasons. Initially as the backup to the primary “Hero” car, and then as the dedicated insert car used for interior shots.
And you’re getting a “two-fer” here! This particular vehicle was also used as KARR in the Season 3 episode “KITT vs KARR”, in the scene where KARR is being pulled out of the sand at the beginning! “I am not a car. I’m the Knight Automated Roving Robot, the first in a bold new experiment. You may call me ‘KARR’.”
This is one of only *five* screen-used KITTs still known to exist! For a fee at the show you can get your picture taken with this iconic piece of television history!
Check out the Knight Rider Historians youtube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/@KnightRiderHistoriansOfficial
Check out their main website where you can buy merch:
Meet Flight of the Navigator Star Joey Cramer at Retro Con 2025!
“You are… the Navigator!”
FIRST EAST COAST CONVENTION APPEARANCE!! Please welcome Joey Cramer to Retro Con 2025, September 6th & 7th in Oaks, Pennsylvania!
Joey first hit the acting scene in Michael Crichton’s 1984 sci-fi/action film Runaway, aka “That movie with Tom Selleck and the killer robot spiders and Gene Simmons as the bad guy”. The movie eerily predicted advancements we have today, such as drones, computer voice interaction, flat screen monitors, computer tablets, and much more.
But retro fans will definitely remember Joey as time-displaced, dog-frisbee enthusiast David Freeman in the classic 1986 Disney movie Flight of the Navigator!
Want to know the story of the movie? “Compliance!” 12-year-old David Freeman goes missing after being knocked unconscious in 1978. He awakens in 1986, having not aged a day. NASA researchers discover a UFO near his home, and David is drawn to the mysterious spacecraft where he meets its robotic pilot Max (voiced by the late great Paul Reubens). With Max’s help, David embarks on a journey to understand what happened to him, and hopefully return to his own time.
The movie mixes together sci-fi, mystery, comedy, practical and CGI effects, and an uplifting score by the legendary Alan Silvestri into a truly wholesome gem from the 1980’s. If you’ve never seen it, you’ve got some homework to do. And don’t forget to feed Bruiser!
Joey was also the focus of a recent documentary called ‘Life After the Navigator‘, directed by Lisa Downs (who kindly helped us get in touch with Joey for this convention appearance). Part documentary that recounts the creation of 1986’s Flight of the Navigator, it later shifts focus to Joey during his often turbulent times in the decades that followed the release of the movie. But he’s come through the other side and is now a well-adjusted person and father. It’s a sincere and heartfelt doc, and definitely worthy of a watch if you want to know the full Joey Cramer story. It’s available on blu-ray and on numerous streaming platforms.
This is Joey’s first convention on the east coast, so we hope you’ll come out and show him some love! He fully embraces his part as the Navigator, and plans to wear his signature David Freeman outfit at the show (blue striped shirt and NASA hat), and bring along a replica of his alien friend the Puckmaren for photo ops!
PRE-REG NOW LIVE!
Vendor Table Info Below!
Sponsors!
Retro Con would like to thank all those that helped to sponsor this show!
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98.5 WXPM The Phoenix
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The Retro Network
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Rediscover The 80s
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Friends of Retro Con!
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The Breaux Show
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Fandom Spotlite
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Toy Spotlite
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The Very Best
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retrocons.com 