Drive-Ins, Rooftops, Underground, And Other Non-Boring Places To See A Movie In Your City

Whether it’s in a park or on some trendy rooftop bar, in the front seat of a car or a repurposed convent, big-screen movies aren’t the exclusive property of cinemas during summer, and alternative screenings are popping up more than ever in both rural and metro areas. If the thought of watching Gravity under nature’s own planetarium appeals to you, or hooking up the speakers and singing along to Disney’s Frozen in the privacy of your own automobile is your idea of a perfect night out, we have some suggestions for the best alternatives to the local multiplex.

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Melbourne

Rooftop Cinema: By now the annual Rooftop Cinema season atop Curtin House building on Swanston Street is a local staple, and its rows of deck chairs make it ideal for a summer’s night. With screenings of ’80s cult classics like The Breakfast Club (1985) and BMX Bandits (1983, starring a pre-fame Nicole Kidman), nestled alongside audiences favourites Muriel’s Wedding (1994) and Labyrinth (1986), and new releases like Prince Avalanche and The Counsellor, there’s bound to be something you’re into.

Shadow Electric: Now in its third year at The Abbotsford Convent near Collingwood, Shadow Electric has a bar, food vendors, and state-of-the-art projection and Dolby 7.1 Digital Surround Sound. Classics such as Tootsie (1982) and Sunset Blvd (1950) are highlights, rubbing shoulders with politically-charged (and very topical) doc Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, cult gem Nomad Riders (1984) and Aussie feel-good flick, The Rocket.

Cameo Outdoor Cinema: Located at the end of the Belgrave train line, Cameo Outdoor Cinema is a place to lay a picnic blanket and mingle under the stars with new releases like Her, Nebraska, The Monuments Men, and Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming Noah.

Don’t forget about: Coburg Drive-In in Melbourne’s north, which is showing a selection of big new releases, and Moonlight Cinema in the Botanical Gardens, featuring Top Gun (1986) and Aussie classic, The Castle (1997).

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Sydney

Movies At Marmalade: If you’re looking for a touch of comfort, then try Movies At Marmalade — located at The Rose in Chippendale — which is free each Wednesday (including free popcorn!). Each month’s program is dedicated to a different director, and past names have included Edgar Wright and Kevin Smith.

St George Open Air Cinema: If you’re going to sit outside and watch a movie, do it in style. Hosted at the Fleet Steps in Sydney’s Botanical Gardens, the St George Open Air Cinema comes complete with stunning views of Sydney Harbour in the price of your ticket. The season opened on January 10 with Tracks, the next big Aussie film starring Mia Wasikowska and Girls‘ Adam Driver, and continues with previews of big ticket titles like Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive and the premiere of Oscar-bound Dallas Buyers Club.

Don’t forget about: Sydney’s own Moonlight Cinema on the lawns of the Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Park.

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Brisbane

Yatala and Tivoli Drive-Ins: The Yatala Drive-In features an authentic ’50s diner serving all your favourite cinema treats, as they screen Hollywood blockbusters like The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. The Tivoli Drive-In, located 40-minutes outside of Brisbane, specialises in double features, with interesting pairings like Satellite Boy alongside Lee Daniels’ The Butler, and, uh, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 with Captain Phillips.

Movies In The Library: Let’s face it, summer blows, so it’s nice to remember that movies can indeed still be watched indoors. This Brisbane City Council initiative sees the movies enter the land of the printed text, with screenings held at various town libraries. Specific attention has been given to family fare like Despicable Me 2 at Kenmore Library and Flushed Away (2006) at Chernside Library, as well as a focus on queer cinema with the likes of Cabaret (1972), Weekend (2011), and Behind The Candelabra (2013) at New Farm Library.

Chinatown Mall Movie Nights: Held in Chinatown Mall in Fortitude Valley, these free screenings of family adventure and animated movies should be popular for the abundance of dumpling options on hand. Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and The Adventures Of Tintin (2011) will also be screened.

Don’t forget about: Yup, you guessed it, Moonlight Cinema, which makes an appearance in New Farm Park, showing cult classic Monty Python’s Life Of Brian (1979), alongside newbies like Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.

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Adelaide

Summer Scoops: This one might be held in a regular ol’ movie theatre, but Mercury Cinema’s Summer Scoops festival offers Adelaide residents the chance to see big festival titles that may otherwise skip their city. High profile documentaries Blackfish, Cutie And The Boxer and Ken Loach’s The Spirit of ’45 screen alongside the boldly sexual French thriller Stranger By The Lake and black-and-white German comedy Oh Boy.

Nights On The Terrace: On Wednesday January 22, Splash Adelaide’s Nights On The Terrace initiative are hosting a screening of family favourite Matilda (1996) at the State Library Forecourt in North Terrace. The evening is free, the movie is great, and the location is easily accessible. If one outdoor cinema isn’t enough, then Adelaide’s Moonlight Cinema is held on Plane Tree Drive.

Mainline Drive-In: All the big new releases are featured at Mainline Drive-In in Gepps Cross, with 9pm showings of Free Birds and Walking With Dinosaurs for you earlybirds, and late 11pm screenings of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty for the night owls.

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Perth

Luna Outdoor: One of the funnest programmes of the summer comes from Perth’s Luna Outdoor, run by Palace Cinemas. Their eclectic selections include this year’s little-seen Australian surfing documentary Uncharted Waters, Spike Jonze’s melancholy sci-fi romance Her, Gravity in 3D, as well as infamous bad movie The Room (2003) — bring your own plastic spoons, naturally.

Rooftop Movies: The people at Fringe World Festival have joined with City Of Perth Parking for the first of what will hopefully become a yearly feature on the Perth arts scene. Held six levels up at the top of the Roe Street Carpark, Rooftop Movies features interesting choices like Bring It On (2000), Empire Records (1995), and last year’s cult hit, John Dies At The End.

Kookaburra Outdoor Cinema: Located some 40-odd kilometres out of Perth, Kookaburra Outdoor Cinema is locally run and has the envious backdrop of the Perth Hills and state forest, as they play recent fare like Hyde Park On The Hudson and Now You See Me. Make a night of it and go camping nearby! Closer to home, however, might be Moonlight Cinema, which is being held this year on the lawns of Kings Park and Botanic Garden.

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Glenn Dunks is a freelance writer and film critic from Melbourne, and currently based in New York City. His work has been seen online (Onya Magazine, Quickflix), in print (The Big Issue, Metro Magazine, Intellect Books Ltd’s World Film Locations: Melbourne), as well as heard on Joy 94.9.

[feature image via William Hung/Cameo Cinemas]