The Best Home Movie Night Ideas for Families
Movie night at home is a fun way to spend an evening without having to get out of the house. It’s one of our family’s favorite things to do! I’ve compiled a fun list of favorite family movies, movie theme ideas, snack recipes and a free movie ticket printable to help you plan the BEST movie night ever. You are going to love these movie night ideas for your family!
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Pick the Flick – Our List of Favorite Family Movies
I always like to start our ultimate movie night planning by selecting a movie. We usually let the kids choose from a few different family-friendly movies, but occasionally I will surprise them and choose a movie that I know the entire family will love.
Once the movie is chosen, I sometimes build a theme night around the movie.
If we’re watching Finding Nemo we might serve goldfish crackers and blue jello and serve drinks in little fish bowls.
For Alice in Wonderland we might don some crazy hats and feast on stuffed mushrooms, cucumber sandwiches and sip hot tea from our china set that otherwise never gets used.
You get the idea!
Here is our list of favorite movies:
- Encanto (on Disney+ – our current absolute FAVORITE)
- Sing 1 and Sing 2
- The Princess Bride
- Wreck It Ralph and Ralph Breaks the Internet
- Frozen (and Frozen 2)
- Home Alone
- Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse
- Trolls
- Toy Story 4
- Inside Out
- Harry Potter
- Indiana Jones (a great action film that my kids love)
- The LEGO Movie
- The Sandlot
- Matilda
- Elf
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
- The Greatest Showman
- Homeward Bound
- Jumanji
- The Jungle Book (the live action movie is awesome)
- The Lion King
We have a handful of DVDs that we’ve kept in our movie collection over the years, but these days one of the best ways to see some great movies is by streaming them. Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are great options for finding movies that the whole family will love.
Set The Scene
You don’t need to have a home theater to make movie night something special, and you don’t have to spend a ton of money either.
The dollar store is a great place to stock up on supplies to make the evening fun (and pick up those movie-size candies for $1 too!). I stock up on things when they are on sale and keep a stash of treats in the pantry.
As fun as it is to plan a movie night for family and friends, some of our most memorable nights are the impromptu ones that happen on a whim.
Here are some of the staples in my movie night kit:
- Rope Lights – Rope lights or string lights remind me of the lights down the aisles in a movie theatre and create the atmosphere for the evening.
- School Supply Caddies – These inexpensive caddies are perfect for dolling out individual snacks for everyone. (Plus they help kids keep their messes contained.)
- Bean Bag Chairs – Bean bags are a great way to spread out and use the floor to relax while you watch movies.
- Cozy Blankets – These would be weird to take to a real theater, but one of the best things to have for home movies!
Movie Night Snacks
Nothing says movie night quite like popcorn. Regular microwave or stovetop popcorn topped with butter and salt is a classic favorite.
For special movie nights, we like to pull out all the stops with flavorful popcorn topped with candy, special seasonings and other toppings.
Keep your favorite popcorn toppings stashed in the pantry for an extra special movie night treat!
Popcorn Recipes for a Movie Night at Home
This popcorn recipe requires only 3 ingredients and it tastes JUST like the stuff they serve at the theaters.
This fun and colorful popcorn is perfect for Star Wars or any space-themed movie night.
A healthier snack mix that the kids will love and will have fun making!
These dark chocolate popcorn balls are a delicious, healthy dessert recipe! If you like popcorn, dark chocolate, and peanut butter – then these little treats are for you.
Birthday cake popcorn is the perfect party treat. Like funfetti pancakes, it’s a festive way to celebrate special occasions!
Concession Stand Ideas
Popcorn is delicious but sometimes it’s fun to go all out for family movie night. Grabbing ice cream and making banana splits is always a good idea. Other times we like to cook loads of salty snacks and cover the coffee table with a buffet of finger foods that we munch on all evening long.
Pretend you have your own movie theater snack bar with some of these delicious munchies!
Movie Night Snack Ideas
Crispy little potato skins filled with cheese, beef, and bacon, then topped with cool dip will be a new family favorite.
Pigs in a blanket with cream cheese and caramelized onions. Super easy & uses store bought crescent dough!
These loaded Nacho Fries are an easy appetizer or dinner. They’re better than Taco Bell’s and loaded with seasoned beef, cheese, tomatoes, and jalapenos.
This Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken dip is affordable and easy to make. This spicy, creamy dip is loaded with chicken and cooks up in just minutes in your pressure cooker.
This Baked Spicy Popcorn Chicken is the ultimate snack for any occasion!
Make Movie Night Even More Special
Drive-In Movie with Cardboard Cars
This is especially fun if you have smaller children. Gather up a few old cardboard boxes and decorate them as cars. Use paper plates to make a steering wheel and wheels. Fill them with cozy pillows and blankets and let the kids enjoy the movie drive-in style from the comfort of your living room.
There are plenty of fancy cardboard cars on Pinterest, but my kids don’t have the patience for all of that! We made these cars out of two extra boxes from our garage, plus a few paper plates. I covered Aren’s box in the last of some birthday wrapping paper since her box was covered in black Brawny paper towel print.
Bonus – the kids were entertained even longer by coloring all over the inside and outside of their boxes while I got the snacks together!
Backyard Movie Night Ideas
Who says you have to watch all your movies indoors?
Grab a projector and tack up a projector screen or a white sheet and move movie night to the backyard. Light a campfire, gather up the lawn chairs and invite all the neighbors.
If you have a pool, set the screen poolside and float around while you watch Jaws on the big screen as your feet dangle into the depths of the water!
If the weather isn’t cooperating, you can still take your movie night inside. We have this projector at home and we just shine it on a blank wall in our basement. It works great!
Depending on your movie tastes, watching a horror movie outside in the dark could be next level terrifying – or it could be completely thrilling!
Movie Date Night
Plan a fun movie night for the kids in the living room and escape to another room with your significant other for a romantic date night to yourselves. Choose a romantic movie, sip on a fruity cocktail and enjoy 90 minutes of kid-free bliss!
See more of our favorite date night at home ideas here!
Send Out the Invitations
Whether you are inviting your kids, your church group or the whole neighborhood it’s fun to get everyone on board for a memorable movie night at home with your own movie tickets. It builds up excitement and gets everyone ready for a full evening of fun.
Just get some card stock and print admission tickets for that whole movie theater experience! Then you’re ready to roll out the red carpet and get the whole thing started.
Click below to get your FREE printable movie tickets and start planning your next movie night today!
Enjoy the Perfect Movie Night!
As parents, we want to make sure our kids don’t get too much screen time – but occasionally having a movie night is a great way to spend quality time with the kids and have a lot of fun! Hopefully these easy ideas to make your next movie night extra fun is helpful.
If you have some home movie night ideas that you want to share with us, let us know in a comment below!
MEET AMANDA
Amanda is a mom of 4 living a mostly crunchy lifestyle outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband, 2 dogs, and a cat. As a former special education teacher who also has her personal training certification — Amanda really enjoys teaching others how to do things!
When she’s not working, Amanda enjoys DIY projects, exercising, photography, hiking, and long walks through Target.
