Overview
After announcing its dates earlier this year, Moonlight Cinema has revealed the first part of its 2018–19 program. In short: pack your picnic basket and get ready to watch a heap of flicks under the summer evening sky.
Kicking off on Thursday, November 29 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and on Saturday, December 1 in Perth, this initial lineup boasts plenty of this year's favourites, a smattering of all-time faves and a few sneak peeks at new movies coming out soon. If you're wondering why it's just the first section of the program, that's because it covers the outdoor cinema's screenings until the end of January. A February and March lineup will be announced in January.
Tried-and-tested highlights include A Star Is Born, A Simple Favour and Crazy Rich Asians, plus Halloween, Bad Times at the El Royale and Venom if you're after something darker. And it wouldn't be a movie season under the stars (or a pre-Christmas lineup) without Love Actually, Elf and Dirty Dancing, now would it? You can also catch pre-release sessions of twisted period drama The Favourite, from The Lobster filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, as well as Transformers spin-off Bumblebee. Or, opt for Viggo Mortensen-starring likely Oscar contender Green Book, or Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan battling it out in Mary, Queen of Scots.
Heist flick Widows, amusing sleuths Holmes and Watson and the wizarding antics of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald are all also accounted for — as is Moonlight's usual food truck and licensed bar offering, and its reserved bean beds. You can also BYO booze everywhere except Brisbane.
Brisbane's season is actually benefiting from two big changes, with Moonlight Cinema saying goodbye to Brisbane Powerhouse after a more than a decade and settling in at Roma Street Parkland instead. Even better — it'll run all the way through until March 31 for the first time, like its interstate counterparts.
MOONLIGHT CINEMA 2018–19 DATES:
Sydney: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Park)
Melbourne: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Central Lawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens)
Brisbane: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Roma Street Parkland)
Perth: Dec 1–Mar 31 (May Drive Parkland, Kings Park & Botanic Garden)
Adelaide: Dec 8–Feb 17 (Botanic Park)
Moonlight Cinema kicks off on November 29. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the Moonlight website.