Elevate your movie game this spring and summer and turn your backyard into a walk-in cinema, where all you need to add is fresh popcorn and cold soda. Whether you’re planning on inviting the entire neighborhood over or saving the space for you and your kids, you can create a cozy, stylish space to enjoy all types of movies. It’s more than simply setting up a screen and placing chairs around it. You can vamp it up and get crafty! You can play a movie at the end of a day spent barbecuing or utilize the space for one of your kid’s birthdays. And this doesn’t have to be a one-off event; you can rain and weatherproof your outdoor theater so it stays open throughout the year. The movie screen is a more critical factor when building your theater. If you’re using a sheet, you’ll want to make sure it’s tout against the holder so the wind doesn’t blow it and disrupt the movie.
Turn Your Backyard into a Bean Bag Paradise
Use oversized, colorful bean bags for cozy seating in front of your screen. You can get plush bean bags that are comfortable for adults and children. Center the bean bags around the screen for an easy setup where everyone can see the movie screen. Add plush pillows to the mix for added comfort!
Set Up a Blanket Lounge
Lay fluffy blankets and pillows on the grass for an easy picnic-style vibe. This is a great way to set up an outdoor theater with minimal effort if you want to have the backyard theater vibe with minimal effort. Mix and match different styles of blankets and pillows to give it an eclectic yet cozy feeling.
Build DIY Pallet Sofas
You’ll need about ten pallets to make one DIY pallet sofa. Simply stack wooden pallets with cushions to make rustic seating. Grab extra pallet sofas and make an extended sofa that stretches across your backyard if you want multiple pallet sofas. If you have kids, they can invite their friends over with plenty of space to lounge around and watch movies. Don’t forget the popcorn!
Create a Hammock Haven
For a relaxing aerial movie experience, you can hang several hammocks around a massive screen in your backyard. This works well if you have a forested backyard. Otherwise, you can use hammock hanging stands. Fill the hammocks with pillows and blankets to make them even comfier. Position the hammocks in a semi-circle so everyone can see the big screen.
Make a Lawn Chair Cinema
You can build a lawn chair cinema to achieve the classic outdoor look. This will capture the outdoor atmosphere while incorporating a cinema’s coziness. It is a great way to accommodate large groups and support your back, mainly if hammocks, picnic blankets, or bean bags cause back pain.
Set Up Inflatable Loungers
If you have a kiddie pool, you can set up inflatable loungers to complete the look! This is an excellent option if you have kids. The kids can splash around in the kiddie pool while you and your friends lounge on the inflatable chairs and enjoy the movie. You can even opt for glow-in-the-dark inflatable loungers to create an ethereal atmosphere.
Set Up a Big Screen With Picnic-Style Rows
Why not choose a picnic theme for your backyard cinema? It’s easy to achieve this look by lining up picnic blankets and pillows and filling picnic baskets with snacks like chips, cookies, and popcorn and meals like sandwiches and salads. Use colorful pillows and blankets that match the wicker picnic baskets to give your backyard cinema a cohesive look.
Turn Your Wrap Around Patio into a Theater
Hang a white sheet between trees or poles for a simple screen, or utilize your built-in patio and create an indoor theater. This is a great way to have a permanent theater without weatherproofing it. Hang a white sheet on one side of the porch, and position your chairs to face the screen. You can even add a small fire on your table for warmth in winter.
Have Themed Movie Nights
If you love Disney or 80s movies, consider decorating your backyard theater with a theme. Decorate your screen with balloons, and add flair to your seating arrangement with comfortable rugs and pillows so you and your family can relax. The 80s was a timeless era for classics like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Back to the Future. Themed theaters make it easier to pick a movie!
Hang Lanterns Around Your Backyard
Place lanterns or LED candles around your backyard to guide guests to their cozy bean bag seats. You can create a makeshift pathway to the seating area, much like a movie theater has lit-up pathways to the seats. The lanterns will give your space a warm ambiance and laid-back vibe. Take it further and add candles, which is great if you’re playing romance movies!
Embrace Marshmallows and Movies With a Fire Pit
Nothing screams warm summer night more than building a theater around a fire pit. If you already have a backyard fire pit, you can place the screen nearby, with chairs around the fire pit. Utilize the fire pit during the movie so you and your kids can roast marshmallows while watching their favorite Superhero movie on the big screen.
Go Big With Speakers
It can be easy to forget sound if you focus on the ambiance. But it wouldn’t be a cinema without speakers that cut out traffic and other natural sounds in the area. You can place the speakers behind the seating area for surround sound to amplify the viewing experience.
Create a Rustic Touch
Add hay bales around your seating area if you want to create a rustic, farmhouse-style theater. The farmhouse design uses natural materials like hay and wood to emphasize simplicity and practicality. You’ll also want to add vintage touches to your space, like low wooden tables or wicker baskets full of snacks. Kids will love sitting on hay bales and watching a movie!
Add a Vintage Popcorn Machine
It can’t be an authentic movie theater without popcorn! You can take it a step further by adding a vintage popcorn machine. If you want to go full-out 1950’s vibes, you can also have glass Coca-Cola bottles, DIY movie theater tickets, and pillows shaped like retro classic cars. To top it all off, you can play classic movies on the big screen to make it feel like you’ve traveled back in time.
Build a S’mores Station
While popcorn is an integral part of a movie theater, you can take it further and build a s’mores station. Whether you’re entertaining your friends or your kid’s friends, everyone enjoys a s’more! All you need to grab are marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. You can roast the marshmallows over a firepit or use your barbeque to roast the marshmallows.
Have a Hot Dog or Nacho Station
Add a hot dog or nacho station for a festive, summery outdoor touch. If you want a fairgrounds theme, this is a great way to feed everyone while showcasing fun movies. Movie classics from the ’80s pair well with this theme. Besides, who doesn’t want to eat a hotdog or dig their hands into nachos while watching a heartfelt movie? Add picnic tables with checkered patterns to complete the theme.
Provide Theme-Specific Props
If you’re showing a particular movie, you can easily incorporate props related to the movie. This is a fun way to expand on your backyard theater and bring the movie to life. Think wizard hats for Harry Potter movies, light sabers for Star Wars, and elf ears for Elf. You have a complete reign of creativity here, solely based on the movie you’re playing.
Create Personalized Tickets
There’s no better way to make it feel like you’re going to the cinema than handing out DIY movie theater tickets. This creates a nostalgic vibe, turning it from pressing play on the big screen to an event. If you have kids, you can personalize each ticket with their name and build a stand where you check each of their tickets.
String Lights Around Your Backyard
To create a more whimsical, fantasy atmosphere, you can string lights around your backyard to give it that fairytale glow. This works well if you’re playing classic Disney fairytale movies. Why not bring Cinderella and Snow White into your backyard? Provide glowsticks for your guests to add to the soft lighting and make it more of an interactive experience.
Wheel in a Root Beer Float
To add a bit of sweetness to your backyard movie night, wheel in a root beer float cart. You can pour a ton of ice into a galvanized party tub and surround it with ice cream and root beer bottles. Bonus points for using glass root beer bottles to give it that vintage aesthetic! Use a classic ice cream scooper and charming glasses to drink from.