Updated on: Sep 21, 2024
Planning a spectacular movie night party? At some point in our lives, we all want to experience what it feels like to be a celebrity, to wine and dine and attend a fancy movie premiere in Hollywood. Walking down the red carpet wearing your finest dress while being fawned over by your fans may be one of your dreams. You can get that feeling by combining the luxury and glamour of a Hollywood premiere and creating the perfect DIY movie theater in your own home! Check out our movie night party ideas - movie birthday party invitations, film decorations, and motion picture favors! You are sure to find something to work for your Hollywood night out whether your event is for an adult or a kid!
Movie Night Party Invitations
1. Exciting Director’s Clapperboard
These are cute invitations that will surely get your point across for your movie night party. These creative invitations will be sure to get your guests into the “action” of the movie screening of your choice.
2. Fun Ticket Stub Invites
Ticket stub invites are a classic that everyone will resonate with your guests immediately! Cute and easy to make, the best part is a normal ticket would include the time, date, and location. Those features help them be authentic and work for your party.
3. Movie Invitation
An invitation with movie elements sets the mood for the fun night ahead! You can edit some text as desired and print out your invite or send them out virtually.
Movie Night Party Decor
4. Dazzling Red Carpet
Roll out the red carpet for all the famous stars that will be attending the movie screening that night and watch as people come alive on the carpet.
5. Sidewalk “Walk of Fame”
Put stars on the sidewalk in front of your house with your guests’ names on them. It can be a fun game for your guests to find their star at your own movie night party.
6. On the Big Screen
Use a white projector curtain to make the experience more authentic.
7. Director’s Chairs (and Cushions)
Make your guests feel like they are in charge of having lots of chairs and cushions. This will ensure that your guests will have their pick of seats.
8. Mylar Star Balloons
These fun myler star balloons are must-have supplies that will bring the star factor. Also, balloons are a great way to keep up the festive theme of movie nights.
9. Mini Camera Centerpiece
These cute little movie centerpieces will be perfect for your film night. You could also opt to have disposable cameras spread out on tables for guests to take pictures of each other.
10. Concession Stand
Have a table with a concession stand banner above it that holds all the typical movie foods and accessories such as 3D glasses.
11. Popcorn Boxes
What’s a movie without popcorn? Popcorn boxes will add to the motion picture theme’s authenticity to your movie night party.
12. Celebrity Parking Sign
Put a celebrity parking sign in your front yard to specify where people should park when they arrive at your lavish event. For an added touch, have a friend or family member do valet for your guests.
Movie Night Party Favors
13. VIP Passes
This will make your guests truly feel like they are Hollywood A-Listers when they arrive at your parties. Red carpet VIP badges are also great accessories for possible costumes.
14. Personal Autograph Books
Give each guest one of these books. Have guests write short messages in each of the books as if they were Hollywood actors and actresses signing their autographs. These giveaways will leave you with fond memories of your party and a great memento to look upon later.
15. Tinted Black Sunglasses
Look just like the movie stars at your movie night party by wearing these stylish black sunglasses that will protect your eyes from the flashing bulbs of the paparazzi.
16. Favorite Movie DVD
This is a more personal gift that will allow guests to be more involved with the things you like. At your movie-theme parties, giveaway films or DVDs of the movie watched so guests can continue to enjoy the movie beyond the party.
17. Golden Movie Trophies
Movie Buff Gold Trophies are fun objects that can be given out at different points of the movie premiere to those best dressed, most creative, most movie trivia knowledgeable, etc. These prizes will keep up the excitement and competition throughout the night.
18. Fun Bead Necklaces
Bead necklaces can be used for many events and will be great additions to any party favors you might be handing out to your guests.
19. Mini Star Cutouts
Hand out cute mini-star cutouts to give each attendee the experience of having their own star! You can attach these to goody bags or place them on each guest's chair. These are simple, fun ways to enhance your movie decorations.
Virtual Movie Night Party Ideas
While summer ends and social distancing continues, it can be challenging to feel close to loved ones and friends in isolation. Social distancing measures have led people to adjust and find new ways to communicate through technology. One helpful way to stay close to friends and family is having a virtual movie night! Here are some tips on how to have a virtual movie night so fun that you’ll completely forget your friends aren’t right there next to you on the couch.
20. Mystery Movie
A mystery movie night is a fun idea if you and your friends have seen it all. Go on Netflix or any other streaming site and choose a random movie that none of your friends have heard of. This will either turn out to be great or turn out to be a laughable moment. It also helps broaden your movie horizon at the same time.
21. Vote on a Movie
Working as a group to decide on a movie choice over the phone will make you feel closer to one another! Getting to talk out your options on the phone is a great way to kill time and starts your call off with some exciting conversation. When you start arguing between the latest action film or an old indie drama, you’ll forget all about the distance. You can also split it up and have each friend pick one movie each week, allowing your movie nights to become a recurring theme.
22. Share Screens
Use a screen-sharing service like Screencastify, Zoom, or Netflix Party to make sure your movies start and pause at the same time! When you share your screens with one another, you will be able to stop and start the movie in the same place and continue your movie night without a hitch.
23. Pick a Theme
Picking a theme for your movie night party may add to the fun and excitement of getting together with friends virtually. A theme could be pajama night or Taco Tuesday! The ideas are endless when it comes to themes. Having a theme creates a fun opportunity for movie-themed party favors, decorations, and so much more! Make sure everyone’s onboard and able to go along with the theme for the night.
24. Snacks
Even if you can’t reach for the popcorn bowl from your friend’s lap, you can plan your snacks ahead of time and share what different treats you bring. Share movie snacks with each other before your virtual movie night and see what fun movie snacks your friends come up with! You’ll be amazed at how many ways a person can reinvent popcorn.
25. Genre
Picking a genre for virtual movie night is by far the most important thing. Genres like comedy, horror, action/adventure, thriller, romantic comedy, and sci-fi and great genres to choose from. Some way to pick movies from a genre of your choice is to ask each of your friends to pick a movie they like from that genre. All of you can then vote on one or two to watch that night. You can schedule certain genres for each movie night you have. This is great for a group of indecisive friends!
26. Previews
Before you watch the movie, host a preview session. Have each of your friends get up and tell everyone something new that’s been going on in their lives, an embarrassing moment, or a fun fact. This simulates the movie previews in a movie theater. It really breaks the ice and gets a lot of laughs.
27. Dress Up
Dress up as the characters from your favorite movies together! Coordinate on costumes and see what everyone comes up with. With all this time on your hands, your friends are sure to create some pretty creative looks.
28. Movie Games
Add some competition to the movie-watching experience! Play movie trivia games similar to those that may be shown in the previews at the movie theatre. Getting competitive with your friends will make you feel as though you are all together.
29. Try a Franchise
Spend a week dedicated to rewatching a classic movie franchise, like Fast and the Furious or Harry Potter. This will give you and your friends something to look forward to each night and will give you a nostalgic sense of comfort in a difficult time. You could also start a new franchise as a group and become obsessed with something new!
30. Stick to a Schedule
Keep planning your movie nights consistently so that you get to see your friends as regularly as possible! Making scheduled virtual movie nights can provide some regularity into your and your friends’ routines even when you aren’t able to see each other in person to provide support.
31. Rate Your Movies
Rate the movies that you recommend to one another after your viewing using a movie rate and review notebook. Spark a discussion on your favorite or least favorite movies and learn about each other’s tastes! This could lead to some meaningful insight or passionate debate.
32. Series Night
Instead of a movie, you can pick out a series to watch with your friends instead. Pick a night out of the week when everyone is free to watch one to two episodes of a new, interesting series. Then have an after-movie discussion as you would have in a book club. Discuss your feelings about the plot and characters and where you think the show is going. This is a great alternative to movie night.
33. Movie Birthday Party
The options for birthday parties can be pretty slim when taking into consideration social distancing. A fun way to enjoy the night can be holding a movie birthday party at home! Play the birthday boy or girl's favorite movie or a movie with a birthday plot. You could even go outside the box a little and hold a backyard movie birthday party outside with a projector.
Movie Night Party: Conclusion
Not being able to spend this time with loved ones can be very difficult, but a virtual movie night party can help ease that pain a little bit. Whatever movie you decide on or snack you choose to make, the most important part is that everyone has fun. It is our responsibility to make the most out of our situation, so make your virtual movie night the most fun night of your life!
Written by Vincenza Parella and Yi Yang; Contributors: Marianne Vanderbeke and Jessica Lee