Overview
In most parts of Australia, watching a film beneath the evening sky with stars surrounding the big screen is a spring and summer activity. In Brisbane, it normally is, too. But that's changing in the River City from November, which is when Brisbane Powerhouse's previously announced permanent outdoor cinema is finally launching to screen flicks with the heavens as a backdrop all year round.
Catching a movie outside at Brisbane Powerhouse should sound familiar. For years, the New Farm venue played host to Moonlight Cinema, with an outdoor big screen set up outside the site's Stores Building each summer. That annual setup has since shifted to Roma Street Parklands, so Powerhouse is now teaming up with Dendy to open its own replacement: Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema.
The projectors will get whirring from Friday, November 10, with Dendy adding a third Brisbane site to its current footprint alongside Portside and Coorparoo (RIP Dendy George Street, which then became Tribal Theatre and is now sadly no longer a cinema).
The cinema chain will bring the same mix of programming that graces its other sites in Queensland and across Australia. Think: arthouse and mainstream fare alike, and for all ages, with the launch lineup set to feature The Marvels, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Cat Person, Killers of the Flower Moon, Five Nights at Freddy's, The Royal Hotel, the remastered version of Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense and more.
While Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema definitely isn't just a seasonal affair, it will keep its screenings to Thursday–Sunday evenings.
Powerhouse had promised this setup, complete with a major exhibitor running the operations, back when adding a permanent openair cinema to the Lamington Street site was first revealed. Also announced then, in mid-2022: Night Feast, which has run in both March and October this year, and will keep popping up twice a year — and the Pleasuredome, a new tent-style riverside events space on the Powerhouse's Performance Lawn that arrived in 2022. Powerhouse has welcomed vertical dining experience Vertigo in 2023 as well.
Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema will pop its screen on top of 40-foot shopping containers, and get patrons using wireless headphones for the best sound experience. As for the seating, you'll recline on outdoor loungers.
Food-wise, there'll be the usual cinema snacks — including popcorn and choc tops — plus cheese boxes, wine and beer. Ordering will be made easy, using QR codes for to-your-seat delivery.
Past outdoor cinema sessions at Brisbane Powerhouse
"We are delighted to be partnering with the Brisbane Powerhouse to deliver a stylish and sophisticated, all-year-round outdoor cinema experience for the Brisbane community. True to the Dendy brand, Dendy Powerhouse will screen high-quality curated content across a wide range of genres, aiming to transport audiences on a journey like never before," said Dendy Cinemas CEO Sharon Strickland.
"We're thrilled to partner with Dendy on this new outdoor cinema, a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to showcasing diverse art forms at Brisbane Powerhouse. This cinema will feature Dendy's impressive film selection alongside our festival programming, offering audiences a range of films from blockbusters to artistically diverse creations," added Brisbane Powerhouse CEO and Artistic Director Kate Gould.
Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons
Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema will open on Friday, November 10 at 119 Lamington St, New Farm — head to the Dendy website for bookings and more information.