A Glorious Movie Lineup in a Gorgeous Location: Westpac Openair Cinema Has Unveiled Its Full 2025 Program
The Australian premieres of Nicole Kidman's new film 'Babygirl' and the Daniel Craig-starring 'Queer' are just some of the highlights.
Timothée Chalamet (Dune: Part Two) playing Bob Dylan. Nicole Kidman (The Perfect Couple) getting steamy with Harris Dickinson (Blitz) in an erotic thriller. Daniel Craig (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) leading the latest film from Challengers director Luca Guadagnino, who reteams with the tennis hit's screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes. A Complete Unknown, plus the Australian premieres of both Babygirl and Queer, are just three standouts on the upcoming Westpac Openair Cinema program, but they're indicative of an impressive full lineup. After teasing its 2025 slate throughout November, the Sydney summer favourite has now dropped its complete program.
Big screen, big highlight of January and February for Harbour City cinephiles, big movies: when Westpac Openair Cinema returns to Mrs Macquaries Point with its three-storey-high screen to kick off another year, it'll tick all of those boxes. The Chalamet-led A Complete Unknown had already been revealed as the outdoor picture palace's opening-night pick, screening on Thursday, January 9 to start 41 nights of movies under the stars in stunning surroundings — but now it has plenty of company.
Maria, with Angelina Jolie (Eternals) as famous soprano Maria Callas, is also on the bill — and, as with A Complete Unknown, Babygirl and Queer, will be playing to Westpac Openair Cinema audiences before releasing in theatres elsewhere in Australia. The 1972 Munich Olympics-set September 5 and and Sweden's The Last Journey fall into the same category, alongside the previously announced Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
Spit, the Gettin' Square followup featuring David Wenham (Fake) returning to the role of Johnny Spiteri, will premiere to close out the season on Tuesday, February 18 — but before that, the Pierre Niney (The Book of Solutions)-led latest take on The Count of Monte Cristo will also make its first appearance Down Under, in a session in conjunction with the Alliance Française French Film Festival.
Elsewhere, spanning both titles that were named in advance and new additions, audiences can look forward to Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers) in Gladiator II; the first Wicked movie with Ariana Grande (Don't Look Up) as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo (Pinocchio) as Elphaba; and 2024 Cannes Palme d'Or-winner Anora from Tangerine, The Florida Project and Red Rocket filmmaker Sean Baker. Or, there's My Old Ass, about a teen who receives life advice from her older self — who happens to be played by Aubrey Plaza (Agatha All Along) — and Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar's (Parallel Mothers, Pain and Glory) English-language feature debut The Room Next Door, with the iconic director teaming up with Tilda Swinton (Fantasmas), Julianne Moore (May December) and John Turturro (Mr & Mrs Smith).
With We Live in Time, audiences can look forward to Florence Pugh (Dune: Part Two) and Andrew Garfield (Under the Banner of Heaven) in a romance from Brooklyn filmmaker John Crowley, which follows a couple's relationship across a decade — and with Nightbitch by The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me? and A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood director Marielle Heller, viewers can watch Amy Adams (Dear Evan Hansen) playing a stay-at-home mum who turns canine.
Buffet Digital, @patstevenson
Ralph Fiennes (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) is at the centre of witty papal election thriller Conclave, alongside Citadel's Stanley Tucci, Killers of the Flower Moon's John Lithgow and Spaceman's Isabella Rossellini; Better Man puts Robbie Williams in the spotlight, but is never a mere traditional music biopic; and A Real Pain is helmed by and stars Jesse Eisenberg (Fleishman Is in Trouble), doing the latter opposite Kieran Culkin (Succession). Or, there's musical crime comedy Emilia Perez from Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Rust and Bone), which won stars Karla Sofia Gascón (Harina), Zoe Saldaña (Special Ops: Lioness) and Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building) won the 2024 Cannes' Best Actress prize to share — and also Irish rappers Kneecap playing themselves in the delightful film that shares their name.
Notting Hill, Dirty Dancing, the original Bridget Jones' Diary and Crazy, Stupid, Love have blasts from the past covered — and, although it's only from earlier in 2024, so does the Sydney-shot The Fall Guy.
Fiora Sacco
For bites to eat, this year's season will feature a Festival of Food, with Luke Nguyen (Botanic House's Culinary Director), Danielle Alvarez (Chef and Sydney Opera House's Culinary Director of its event venues) and Scott McComas-Williams (Love Tilly Group's Group Executive Chef) curating. Three dining experiences will greet moviegoers. At the casual Luke Nguyen at The Point, Vietnamese fusion menu will be on offer. Summer House Dining by Danielle Alvarez is all about Mediterranean-inspired meals and full-service dining. And at Fabbrica at Chandon Garden, there'll be a pasta bar-style menu.
As happens every year, tickets to Westpac Openair Cinema likely to go quickly when they go on sale at 9am AEDT on Monday, December 9. Across the summer of 2018–19, more than 40,000 tickets sold within the first two days of pre-sale, for instance — so put it in your diary ASAP.
Buffet Digital, @patstevenson
Buffet Digital, @patstevenson
Fiora Sacco
Chris Grundy
Westpac Openair 2025 runs from Thursday, January 9—Tuesday, February 18. Tickets go on sale at 9am AEDT on Monday, December 9, 2024 — head to the event's website for more details.
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