Overview
Spare a thought for the St George OpenAir Cinema team, the folks behind one of Sydney's favourite outdoor cinema spots. When picking their summertime lineup each year, they're battling fierce visual competition: Mrs Macquaries Point's spectacular panoramic view of the city. Accordingly, every movie that graces the cinema's big screen has to hold its own against the stunning sights glittering away behind it. Don't worry — boasting everything from Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in the newspaper trade to Greta Gerwig's latest effort as a director, their 2018 program achieves that feat.
Kicking off on January 7 and running until February 17, the outdoor cinema's new season commences with the Australian premiere of The Post, which sees America's nicest actor and the Oscars' most nominated actress join forces for filmmaker Steven Spielberg. It's just one of the movies making sure it'll be starry not only in the sky above, but on the 350-square-metre screen rising from the harbour. And with lineup featuring the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis in Paul Thomas Anderson's fashion flick Phantom Thread, Margot Robbie hitting the ice in I, Tonya, Jessica Chastain playing a poker kingpin in Molly's Game, the first film directed by Aussie actor Simon Baker, and a session of Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi under the stars, it well and truly delivers.
The list goes on during OpenAir's 43-night-season, thanks to previews of Gerwig's aforementioned Lady Bird before it hits regular theatres; the latest flick from Veep's Armando Iannucci, The Death of Stalin; Guillermo del Toro's monster romance, The Shape of Water; and Ridley Scott's newly re-cast kidnapping drama All the Money in the World. Or, revisit Blade Runner 2049 in scenic surroundings, watch Liam Neeson wreak havoc on a train in The Commuter, or settle in for 50 Shades Freed (hey, if you've been keeping up with the franchise so far, you might as well catch the final movie).
Off-screen, expect culinary stars to join the fold as well, with OpenAir partnering with Matt Moran's Chiswick. They'll be delivering a signature menu to hungry movie-goers each and every night during the cinema's 2018 run — but with 2000 patrons expected every evening, expect them to be busy.
Speaking of, when tickets become available at 9am on Monday, December 11, they're likely to go quick. Last year, more than 30,000 tickets sold within the first 30 minutes of sale.
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