Overview
Come on Barbie fans, let's go party — under the stars, in costume, while watching the biggest movie of 2023 and not thinking about dying. Moonlight Cinema's 2023–24 dates and November–December lineup are both here, and celebrating Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie's pink-hued big-screen comedy is on the agenda. In fact, the openair cinema season is throwing Barbie-themed shindigs where wearing pink, rose or similar shades is encouraged while watching the film beneath the evening sky.
That's just one of the highlights of this summer's (and late spring and early autumn's) date with Moonlight Cinema, which kicks off in Brisbane and Sydney on Thursday, November 23, opens in Perth the next day, and then in Adelaide and Melbourne the following week — running till February in Queensland South Australia, and March elsewhere. Also worth getting excited about: festive flicks ('tis the season), nostalgic sessions of Jurassic Park and The Mighty Ducks, The Hunger Games prequel Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Sydney-shot Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria)-starring rom-com Anyone But You.
If nothing says Christmas to you like catching a festive film under the heavens, ideally while kicking back on bean beds and eating a picnic, then you're in luck as usual. When the beloved Australian outdoor movie-viewing setup returns, it'll again show some of the merriest pictures that it can find. On the list: Love Actually, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Die Hard, Home Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Elf — so, the usual selection, not that these jolly pictures ever get old.
At Sydney's Centennial Parklands, Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens, Brisbane's Roma Street Parklands, Adelaide's Botanic Park, and Perth's Kings Park and Botanic Garden, movie lovers can also look forward to seeing preview screenings of Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins, plus the Natalie Portman- (Thor: Love and Thunder) and Julianne Moore (Sharper)-led May December. The first might ring a bell if you're a fan of soccer and you remember the American Samoan team's big 2001 defeat to Australia 31–0, plus the documentary of the same name about it. The second sees Carol filmmaker Todd Haynes dive into a scandal, with Portman playing an actor and Moore the woman she'll be portraying.
Throw in the animated Trolls Band Together, plus everything from The Little Mermaid, The Creator, Joy Ride and Asteroid City to No Hard Feelings, A Haunting in Venice, Dumb Money and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and there's already a heap of titles on the bill. Killers of the Flower Moon, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and The Super Mario Bros Movie are among the other flicks popping up.
The lineup does vary per city, however — and if you're wondering what else Moonlight will screen across its full season, it now drops its program month by month.
The films and the setting are just two parts of the Moonlight Cinema experience. Also on offer: an official Aperol spritz bar, which is new for 2023–24.
Nosh-wise, the event will again let you BYO movie snacks and drinks (no alcohol in Brisbane, though), but the unorganised can enjoy a plethora of bites to eat onsite while reclining on bean beds.
There'll also be a VIP section for an extra-luxe openair movie experience, plus a platinum section that levels up a night at the movies even further in Sydney and Melbourne. A beauty cart will be handing out samples, too. And, dogs are welcome at all sites except Perth — there's even special doggo bean beds, and a snack menu for pooches.
MOONLIGHT CINEMA 2023–24 DATES:
Brisbane: Thursday, November 23, 2023–Sunday, February 18, 2024 in Roma Street Parklands
Sydney: Thursday, November 23, 2023–Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Centennial Parklands
Perth: Friday, November 24, 2023–Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Kings Park and Botanic Garden
Adelaide: Thursday, November 30, 2023–Wednesday, February 14, 2024 in Botanic Park
Melbourne: Friday, December 1, 2023–Saturday, March 30, 2024 in Royal Botanic Gardens
Moonlight Cinema kicks off in November 2023, running through until March 2024. 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.