Moonlight Cinema Has Unveiled Its First 2022–23 Lineup — Including Two Weeks of Christmas Flicks

If nothing says Christmas to you like catching a festive film under the stars, ideally while kicking back on bean beds and eating a picnic, then Moonlight Cinema's November and December 2022 program has you firmly in its sights. The beloved Australian outdoor movie-viewing setup is back for another summer, and it's kicking off with a heap of recent big-name flicks — plus a couple of weeks of the merriest pictures that it can find.

Fresh from revealing its dates for the summer 2022–23, Moonlight Cinema has now locked in its first titles, with the openair picture palace heading to Sydney's Centennial Park, Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens, Brisbane's Roma Street Parkland, Adelaide's Botanic Park, and Perth's Kings Park and Botanic Garden in a matter of mere weeks. The lineup varies per city as usual, but most spots get the same movies eventually. And yes, everywhere is getting festive.

Firstly, the non-Christmas lineup — which starts with Baz Luhrmann's Elvis in Brisbane on Thursday, November 24, 50s-coveting thriller Don't Worry Darling in Sydney on the same date, page-to-screen adaptation Where the Crawdads Sing in Perth on Friday, November 25, and Billy Eichner's gay rom-com Bros in Adelaide and Melbourne on Thursday, December 1. Also on the bill across all five locations: Top Gun: Maverick, Smile and Ticket to Paradise, while the likes of Bullet Train, Thor: Love and Thunder, Minions: The Rise of Gru and Black Adam screening in some cities.

Everywhere is hosting a throwback session of Grease – because retro flicks are always a big part of this program — and then the festive fun begins. Yes, Elf, Home Alone, The Holiday and How the Grinch Stole Christmas are on the lineup. So is Die Hard twice and Love Actually a whopping three times.

To wrap up December, there's also a preview session of Steven Spielberg's new release The Fabelmans, culinary thrills with The Menu and a preview of Australian drama Blueback — plus the family-friendly Lyle, Lyle Crocodile and Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

The rest of the Moonlight lineup will drop month by month.

Nosh-wise, Moonlight Cinema will again let you BYO movie snacks and drinks (no alcohol in Brisbane, though), but the unorganised can also enjoy a plethora of bites to eat from food trucks — perfect, messy treats made for reclining on bean beds.

There'll be a VIP section for an extra-luxe openair movie experience, a beauty cart handing out samples, and dogs are welcome at all sites except Perth — and there's even special doggo bean beds, and a snack menu for pooches.

MOONLIGHT CINEMA 2022–23 DATES

Brisbane: Thursday, November 24–Sunday, February 19 in Roma Street Parkland
Sydney: Thursday, November 24–Sunday, March 26 in Centennial Park
Perth: Friday, November 25–Sunday, March 26 in Kings Park and Botanic Garden
Adelaide: Thursday, December 1–Sunday, February 19 in Botanic Park
Melbourne: Thursday, December 1–Sunday, March 26 in Royal Botanic Gardens

Moonlight Cinema kicks off in November 2022, running through until March 2023. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the  cinema's website — and we'll update you with further program details when they're announced.