11 Fun and Easy Movie Night Ideas Your Family Will Love!

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Movie nights are a fun and easy way to entertain your friends and family, but sometimes you want to go a little above and beyond. With a little creativity, you can turn your living room into a movie theater or have an outdoor screening under the stars and create an event your guests will never forget!

How to Make a Fun Movie Night at Home

Here are my top tips on how to have a super fun movie night at home!

Make Homemade Popcorn and Snacks

One of the best things about going to the movies is the snacks! You can bring that same movie-theater experience home by making your own popcorn, candy or snacks. Or, get creative and make a batch of homemade cookies or a giant sundae to share! Here are a few of my favorite movie night snacks to make!

Related Post: 27 Easy and Delicious Healthy Snack Ideas

Create a themed movie night (e.g., 80s night, family movie night, etc.)

Take your movie night to the next level with a complete themed night! Set up decorations for the movie, have everyone dress up as their favorite characters, and create a menu inspired by the movie you’ll be watching. This is a great way to get everyone involved and make it a truly fun and memorable experience.

Have everyone bring their favorite snacks or drinks to share

If you’re looking for a low-key movie night, have everyone bring their favorite snacks or drinks to share. This is a great way to try new things and you’ll likely end up with a variety of options that will please everyone.

Order in Pizza or Sushi (or your favorite cuisine)

Pizza and sushi are two of my favorite things to order when we have a movie night at home. It’s easy, delicious and means you don’t have to cook! Just be sure to order enough for everyone (and maybe a few extras in case anyone gets hungry during the movie!).

Decorate and Set the Mood!

Setting the ambiance is one of the biggest secrets to a successful at home movie night! But, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply dim the lights, light some candles and throw some blankets on the couch and you’re good to go!

If you want to take it to another level, you could try building movie “forts” (kids especially love this!) or setting up a projector and screen to make your own home theater.

Challenge friends and family to a game of Movie Trivia

Before the movie starts, put your knowledge to the test with a game of movie trivia! This is a great way to get everyone involved and excited for the film. You can find trivia quizzes online or make your own. If you have young kids or an antsy group, trivia can be a fun way to take a break or intermission during the movie too.

Have Friends and Family Dress Up

Whether it’s an 80s movie night or a showing of the latest blockbuster, have your guests come dressed in costume! This is a great way to get everyone involved and add a little bit of excitement to the event. You could add a contest to the mix and give out awards for best costume or try to guess each other’s costumes!

Make it a Movie Marathon

If you can’t get enough of your favorite movies, make it a marathon! Pick a theme (like all the Harry Potter movies or every Marvel movie leading up to Avengers: Endgame) and have everyone come prepared to watch them all. This is a great option if you have friends or family who are movie buffs!

Need some movie ideas? Check out our 42 favorite movie night movies!

Create a Themed Dinner

If you want to make your movie night extra special, create a themed dinner menu to go along with the film. This doesn’t have to be overly complicated – what I like to do is add in a cute name to the beginning of the dish to make it go along with the movie. For example, we recently had an Encanto movie night and for dinner I served what we called Mirabel’s Arepas Con Queso.

Another idea is you can serve food that’s featured in the movie or a type of cuisine from the country the movie takes place in.

Related Post: 50+ Easy and Delicious Dinners For Your Next Movie Night

Give Out Prizes

For an extra fun movie night, give out prizes for things like trivia winners, best dressed or even coming up with the most creative snack. This is a great way to get everyone involved and add a bit of excitement to the event.

Set Up a Snack Bar

I also love to create “Build Your Own” bars with desserts. This is a fun way for everyone to be able to make their own custom creations and you can make it as simple or elaborate as you want. For a movie night, I would set out a variety of toppings and let everyone go to town!

A few of my favorite BYO Bar ideas:

Build Your Own Popcorn

Set out different popcorn types (regular, butter, kettle, etc.), toppings like butter, cheese, or even cinnamon and then add some candy mix-ins like M&Ms, Skittles, Reese’s Pieces, etc.

Build Your Own Pudding

Build your own pudding is always a hit at our house! I’ll put out different pudding flavors and toppings like crushed up Oreos, gummy bears, fruit, whipped cream, etc. and let everyone go to town!

Build Your Own Ice Cream Sundae

This is a classic for a reason! Set out a variety of ice cream flavors, toppings like sprinkles, marshmallows, chocolate sauce, etc. and let everyone build their own sundae. Make sure to put out plenty of toppings so guests can all have a chance to try everything.

Build Your Own Trail Mix

Trail mix is the ultimate sweet and salty snack! Set out a variety of cereals, nuts, pretzels, chocolate chips, etc. and let everyone mix and match to create their own perfect snack.

Build Your Own Hot Dogs

This is a great option that’s more of a meal for guests! Set out hot dogs and let guests top them with fun toppings like chili, different condiments, bacon and more!

You could even do a modern spin on this by creating a snack or dessert charcuterie board! Here are a few of our favorite unique dessert and snack charcuterie ideas.

What Do You Need For a Movie Night At Home?

Now that we’ve gone over some fun ideas for your movie night, let’s talk about what you need to make it happen. Here is a list of everything you’ll need to have the perfect movie night at home:

The Movie – Of course, you’ll need a movie! You can choose whatever you want, but I like to pick a movie that everyone will enjoy. If you’re not sure what movie to watch, you could offer 2 or 3 movies and let guests vote on which one they want to watch.

A TV or Projector – You’ll need a way to watch the movie, so make sure you have a TV or projector set up and ready to go. If you’re streaming the movie, you’ll want to do a test run to make sure everything is working properly before you start watching!

A Comfortable Place to Sit – You’ll want to be comfortable while you’re watching the movie, so make sure you have enough comfy seating! I love to use extra soft blankets, oversized pillows, and comfy throws to make my movie night seating extra cozy.

Snacks & Drinks – Of course, you’ll need snacks and drinks! Make sure you have a variety of both so that everyone can find something they like. I like to do a mix of sweet and savory snacks, as well as non-alcoholic (and alcoholic if you’re of age) drinks.

A Popcorn Maker – This isn’t required, but it’s definitely a fun way to make your movie night extra special! You can find small popcorn makers that are easy to store and don’t take up much space.

Movie Night Printables – I love using printables to add a fun touch to my movie nights! My favorite place to find them is on Etsy. You can find printables for things like invitations, trivia games, concession stand signs, and more.

Best Movies for a Movie Night

So now you’re ready for movie night and need to decide on what movie to watch! Here are a few of our favorite movies to watch at home.

Family Friendly Movies

The Lion King

The Incredibles

Encanto

Toy Story

How to Train Your Dragon

Despicable Me

The Lego Movie

Frozen

Zootopia

Big Hero 6

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Teen Movies

The Breakfast Club

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

The Fault in Our Stars

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Adult Movies

The Hangover

We’re the Millers

Bridesmaids

22 Jump Street

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Step Brothers

Old School

Groundhog Day

Pitch Perfect

Date Night Movies

The Notebook

Dirty Dancing

Couple’s Retreat

Crazy, Stupid, Love

The Holiday

How to Watch Movies

My favorite way to watch movies is to stream them since it’s so easy and convenient. You can use a service like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, or Disney+. If you don’t have a subscription to any of these services, you could always rent or buy a movie from iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, or another similar service.

Final Thoughts

Movie night is the perfect way to spend an evening with friends or family. By following these tips, you’ll be sure to have a fun and memorable time! I hope you have fun planning your ultimate movie night!

What’s your favorite way to have a movie night at home? Let me know in the comments below!