What’s better than a night at the cinema? A movie night at home! You can enjoy a fantastic movie while avoiding the extravagant ticket prices, overpriced popcorn, soda-sticky floors, and inconsiderate seat neighbors so often found at the movie theater. That said, anyone can watch a movie at home. If you want to know how to plan a movie night to remember, you’re going to need to do some planning.
How to Plan a Movie Night
Start with the basics.
You don’t need many things to throw an excellent movie night, but a large screen and good speakers are essential. Especially if you’re throwing this party at a senior living community, you need to ensure that all of your guests can comfortably see and hear the movie. A large television works well, but if you have access to a projector (which provides a more cinematic experience), take advantage of it!
Select your movie (or movies).
Your cinematic selection will have a profound influence on the night as a whole, so choose wisely! As you’re reviewing your options, try to seek out crowd-pleasers. Use a website like Rotten Tomatoes to see what critics and audiences think of new movies. If several people will be joining you, consider picking a few options and then asking the group to vote.
Enhance the experience with a theme.
Who doesn’t love a themed party? To give your movie night some direction, especially if you’ll be watching multiple films, try sticking to a certain theme. You could base the theme around a particular holiday, time period, place, actor, or director. Here are some ideas:
- Christmas: It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street
- Westerns: The Searchers, High Noon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Stagecoach
- The 1940s: His Girl Friday, Casablanca, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Third Man
- NYC: Taxi Driver, Saturday Night Fever, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Annie Hall, Goodfellas
- Cary Grant: The Philadelphia Story, North by Northwest, To Catch a Thief, Bringing Up Baby
You could also use decorations and food to bring the theme to life. For example, if you’re going for a Western theme, you could set up a red-checked tablecloth, use bandanas as napkins, and serve BBQ with cornbread and s’mores.
Create a cozy atmosphere.
One of the best things about watching a movie at home as opposed to the movie theater is that you can get truly comfortable and cozy. So set up some comfortable seating, and pull out some blankets in case people get chilly. Finally, remember to dim the lights.
Offer delicious snacks.
Popcorn is a necessity for any movie night. Be sure that you have a plentiful amount on hand, and consider offering different types – salted, buttered, cheesy, caramel, etc. But why stop at popcorn? You could offer common movie snacks like candy, pretzels, and chips as well. If you want to steer this in a healthier direction, you could provide slices of fruit and chopped vegetables along with little containers of peanut butter or ranch dressing for dipping.
Debrief after the movie.
Discussing the film after the credits roll is often one of the best parts of a movie night. Encourage everyone in the audience to share their thoughts and ask questions. To get the ball rolling, you might ask everyone to rate the movie on a scale of 1 to 10.
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Watching a movie with a friend or a group is such a joyfully communal experience. Depending on the movie, everyone might be laughing together, crying together, or gasping at a shocking twist. So if it’s been a while since you watched a new blockbuster or you’re craving a re-watch of an old classic, use our tips for how to plan a movie night.
At Springhouse Village, we know how important it is to enjoy your retirement in a lively and welcoming environment. We make it easy for our residents to be active participants in our community. Whether that means encouraging residents to shop at local farmers markets or assisting them in starting a garden club, we strive to help our residents thrive. To learn more about the amenities and services we offer, contact Springhouse Village today.