In its third season, the Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema Series will open at sunset July 15 with a free showing of "Network" on Ninth Street, between Broadway and Washington Street.

The series offers a taste of good ol' Oakland night life. Revelers will get the opportunity to eat out at Old Oakland's restaurants while checking out the flicks.

In John Campau's mind, it's easy to understand why the series has been a success.

"It's great," said Campau, manager of Pacific Coast Brewing on Washington Street. "We have kind of lived in a little bit of a vacuum here and now the neighborhood has started to come alive."

The city will close down Ninth Street and set up a giant screen for people to view each movie. About 150 seats will be made available in the street, but viewers are encouraged to bring their own chairs as well.

There will be a show on the third Saturday of each month. This season's lineup includes "The Joyluck Club" (Aug. 19) and "The Bourne Identity" (Sept. 16) and will finish with "Shrek" (Oct. 21).

Outdoor cinema was not born in Oakland. The idea comes from other cities such as Seattle, which is running outdoor films for the 14th season. The difference is in price. Seattle asks for a donation.

"It's 100 percent free here," said Harry Hamilton, a spokesman for the city.

The city and the Old Oakland Historic District Business Association have put the series together the past three years hoping to attract patrons to the area.

Old Oakland, nestled between downtown and Jack London Square, is known for its farmers market on Fridays, and most of its business comes from tourists. The city's convention center is a block from where the movies will be shown.

Jim McIlvaine, special projects coordinator for Oakland, says the city is committed to drawing patrons downtown, specifically to Old Oakland.

"The question for us was how can we continue to draw attention to this area?" McIlvaine said. "Outdoor cinema is one of those things that has been chosen and proven to draw people in other cities."

Using redevelopment funds, the city will spend $14,700 on the series to further promote the area.

It has worked out nicely, McIlvaine said. There are now three more restaurants in Old Oakland and it's been a boost for businesses already around when the series began.

"Saturday nights are not our biggest nights," Campau said, adding that the event helps a lot.

Said Hamilton, "We're trying to attract new folks to that area to discover it and hopefully come back."

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