Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Ideas for Family Movie Night!

• Find ways to create the ultimate family movie night in your home.
• Discover unique ways to experience the movies outside, with friends, and food. 
• Download our FREE Movie Invites, cinema tickets, popcorn containers, and flood place cards.

Going to the movies is an amazing way to spend time with the family. Watching a movie is the best way to immerse yourself into a film and leave all of the challenges and burdens behind. It is an opportunity to experience something new while sipping on your favorite soda, munching on popcorn or eating your favorite movie snack. 

Going out to the movies however, is getting quite expensive, and for many families, regular movie nights are not in the budget. With streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, families can watch your favorite movies as well as new movies right from home. All you need is a little planning and this list of family movie night ideas and you are set to go.

For your next family movie night, involve friends, or the whole family including older kids, and younger children. It is a great way to spend quality family time. Family togetherness watching movies will not only be entertaining but connect with each other in a memorable way.

I remember watching family movies during my own childhood. In my childhood home, everyday life became an incredible journey when my family entertained friends. We rented a VCR and VHS tapes from a local video store. My family would watch our favorite feel-good movie, and a funny family film, like The Princess Bride.

Now that I have my own kids, we each take turns choosing a movie. We don’t always love watching movies that other people choose for us, but it is a great lesson to our kids that we can appreciate different types of movies. There really is something for everyone in most family-friendly movies.

A family-friendly film was easy to come by back in the 80s, but today, you may need to do a little searching. Here is a very small list of the best family movies for young audiences.

• Princess Bride – a cult classic
• Karate Kid – we enjoy the 80s classic version of this martial arts master
• Forrest Gump – a great history lesson
• Back to the Future – a catchy soundtrack
• Toy Story – Toy Story 3 is my personal favorite. It is an emotional story with colorful characters
• The Greatest Showman – is one of my favorite musicals
• ET – is a true classic
• Enchanted – A Walt Disney Pictures favorite that is not an animated film
• Home Alone – is a Christmas classic – young boy left home – one of our favorite funny family movies.
• Homeward Bound – My kids watched this movie a million times.
• Inside Out – a Disney classic
• Angels in the Outfield
• Stewart Little – A 1999 Columbia Pictures film. A sweet flick. The film revolves around a young boy and a mouse who is his adopted brother.
• Freaky Friday – A girl trapped inside her mother and vice versa. I love Jamie Lee Curtis in this movie.

Below are several ideas to have a creative movie night experience at home. We have also included some ideas for family movie night if you plan on hosting a special evening with family and friends.

We are excited to offer you FREE Family movie night invitations, cinema tickets, popcorn containers, and food place cards. You can get those by clicking here—> FREE MOVIE NIGHT PRINTABLES

Simple Ideas for Family Movie Night

With just a little preparation, you can create the perfect movie night for your family. Below are some ideas from coming up with the perfect theme to creating the best movie snacks.

What Kind of Movie Night Would You Like to Have?

Vintage Ideas for Family Movie Night

If you are looking to have a vintage experience, why not try the old-school way of watching movies? Get your popcorn machine out and watch an older black & white film or even one from the 1930s! You can also take it up a notch by creating theater-style seating in your living room with foldable chairs

Themed Ideas for Family Movie Night

Movies don’t always have to be about the main feature. You can also create ideas for family movie night around a certain theme or genre. Maybe you want to host an action-packed evening with all of your most loved Marvel movies, watch some cute romantic comedies or even snuggle up and enjoy some Disney classics?

Halloween Theme: family movie nights are perfect to celebrate the spooky holiday. Watch some of your favorite horror movies or even try an old school classic like Hocus Pocus. Use our FREE Halloween BINGO to make watching the movie even more fun! Get our FREE Halloween Printables Movie Bingo here —> Halloween Printables.

Christmas Theme: Bring out your red and white decorations, prepare some reindeer food for when Santa comes down the chimney and make a holiday themed snack.

Decades Theme: Host an evening in the style of your favorite decade. Watch some classic movies from back in the day or even dress up for a themed party!

Sci-Fi Theme: Turn off all lights and use only candle light to create an out of this world experience while you watch one of these epic films.

Disney Theme: Host a Disney movie night to watch all of your favorite Disney movies, from the classics like Bambi to more modern hits such as Zootopia.

Western Theme: Host a classic Western movie night with ideas like cowboy-themed snacks and décor.

Create an Outdoor Movie Night Experience:

If you want to take ideas for family movie night outside, what better way than by watching a film under the stars.

Projector: Create an outdoor cinema experience in your own back yard by hanging up some white sheets or using outdoor movie screens to turn any wall into a huge screen! A portable projector is also the perfect way to take family movie night on the road.

You can check out Outdoor Movie Screens here.

String Lights : Christmas lights can be placed on the ground to light up the isles or used as a little light around the snack tables.

Seating: Use Plenty of blankets and pillows for seating to create a cozy outdoor movie night. You can never have too many. When the sun goes down, so does the temperature.

Food Ideas for Family Movie Night

The best ideas for family movie night don’t stop at the theme or genre, you can also create ideas around specific types of movie food. This is an opportunity to have some fun and get creative with food ideas that are inspired by your favorite movies.

Popcorn ideas: popcorn is the perfect movie snack, but you can also get creative when you host a family movie night around it too! Try making some kettle corn or even make flavored popcorns like cinnamon sugar and sour cream & onion to really take your snacks to another level of deliciousness

Snack mix ideas: Make a snack mix by mixing up some ingredients from your favorite movies like fruity candies and nuts

Movie theater snacks ideas: ideas for family movie night can also take inspiration from the cinema! You can re-create all of your favorites like movie theater popcorn, or try something new like candy bags and even box drinks

Movie themed ideas for dinner

Here are some fun food ideas for family movie night that will leave your friends and family feeling full until the credits roll. You can try out recipes from your favorite movies or you could also think outside of the big screen with ideas:

Spaghetti & meatballs (Lady and the Tramp)

Chocolate: (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)

A Feast: (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)

Ratatouille: (Ratatouille)

Make it Official!

One of our favorite hosting ideas for family movie night is to send out invitations. Our FREE printables are the perfect addition to any movie night. Print them out, fill them in and deliver them to friends and family for a movie night they will not soon forget.

Included in our Movie Night FREE Printables are:

Invitations to download, print out, and mail out or deliver

Cinema Tickets: A movie experience isn’t complete without giving your tickets to a ticket taker. Simply download, print them out and include the number needed in the invitation.

Popcorn boxes: Download, print on heavy cardstock, and cut out the popcorn boxes. Fill them with theater popcorn or a specialty popcorn created by you.

Food place holders. Organize your food with these place holders. Sections include popcorn, soda, candy and three blank cards for any other food item you choose.

Download our FREE Printables Here ——–> Ideas For Family Night FREE Printables

Enjoy Your Family Movie Night

We hope you have enjoyed our ideas for family movie night. They are simple ideas that don’t cost much money but can bring your family together to have fun, create memories, and connect with one another.

Happy movie watching

Related Posts:

Game Night Ideas

FREE or Cheap Ways to Have Family Fun

Family Fun Night Ideas