Outdoor movies in Los Angeles are incredibly popular. It seems like every summer there is a new outdoor movie experience. In the very first episode of the LA Dreaming Podcast, I talk about Outdoor Movie Screenings in LA with my friend Casey Hempel. In this post, I’ll be recapping the ones we discussed on the show and sharing about other ones that we did not cover in our episode. We are currently working on finding the updated dates and screenings for the 2024 Outdoor Movies in LA.
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Outdoor Movie Screenings In LA
The first several outdoor movies screening listed here are the ones that Casey and I talk about on the podcast.
Street Food Cinema
Street Food Cinema offers some of the best outdoor movies in LA. They have the largest variety of venues that are spread out throughout the Los Angeles area. This screening series typically takes place from April through September. They also try to do screenings for Halloween, Christmas & Valentine’s Day though some of the holiday screenings take place indoors. I have a full blog post on Street Food Cinema that you can check out. Ticket prices can start at $22 for general admission. You can buy your tickets and see upcoming screenings here.
Cinespia
Cinespia is an outdoor movie screening series that takes place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. This experience has been shown in movies like Valentine’s Day & Under the Silver Lake. It sounds weird that you are watching a movie in a cemetery but you are not sitting on top of the graves. One of the best reasons to come to this particular series is for the fabulous photo booths. Shown above is the photo booth from when I saw ET on the 4th of July. They put on a pretty good fireworks show for the holiday!
You can get tickets for Cinespia here.
Boat Cinema
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I have not experienced Boat Cinema myself so far. This is one of the newest outdoor movie series in the LA area and probably ties Cinespia for being the most unique. It is one of the most expensive experiences but, considering you are watching the movie from a boat, it makes sense. They did recently add beach seating which is $20 so that is definitely more affordable. You can find tickets and more information here. They have not officially announced if they are returning for 2024.
Melrose Rooftop Theatre
The Melrose Rooftop Cinema is located in the same spot as the E.P & L.P restaurant off of Melrose in West Hollywood. Your ticket includes a bean bag-type chair that comes with a blanket and a headset so that you can hear the movie well. The general admission tickets are $32.40 with the service fee. They also offer a dinner & movie package for $56.05. Ticket prices are per person. You can visit their website here.
Rooftop Cinema Club
I have been to the Rooftop Cinema Club location in El Segundo. They also have venues at Row DTLA and LEVEL. This is a similar setup to the Melrose Rooftop Theatre. You do not have to bring a chair. That is provided for you as well as headphones.
You can get tickets and see the schedule for all of the Los Angeles Rooftop Cinema Club locations here.
Hollywood Bowl
I highly recommend putting a movie night at the Hollywood Bowl on your LA bucket list. Each summer the bowl will host a Sound of Music sing a long which is one of the most fun events I have been to. They will also host movie screenings where the LA Philharmonic will play alongside the film. The events are truly spectacular.
2024 Hollywood Bowl Schedule for Outdoor Movies in LA
6/24 and 6/25 Disney’s The Lion King 30th Anniversary: A Live-to-Film Concert Event
7/27 Barbie The Movie In Concert
8/27 Singin’ In The Rain In Concert
9/21 The Sound of Music Sing-a-long
Other Outdoor Movie Screenings in LA
Marina Del Rey Movie Nights
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In Marina Del Rey you can see movies at the Jamaica Bay Inn and Burton Chase Park.
Moonlight Movies on the Beach
Moonlight Movies on the Beach in Long Beach is one of my favorite outdoor movie screenings in LA. Yes, it will be cold but listening to the waves while watching a movie is so relaxing. This was one of my favorite memories from 2021. The screening series takes place at Granada Beach in Long Beach. You can find plenty of free street parking on Ocean or you can pay to park if you don’t want to walk as far. You can find out more information on their website here.
This event is currently unconfirmed for the 2024 due to a lack of sponsors. We will keep you updated.
Outdoor Movies at the Skirball
Skirball will be showing movies on Fridays. The evening includes a kid-friendly lounge and activities. Adult tickets start at $20. Children 12 and under are free. You can purchase your tickets here. All screenings begin at 8:30 pm.
5/31 The Never Ending Story
6/28 Where the Wild Things Are
7/12 Pan’s Labyrinth
Movie Nights at Ovation at Hollywood & Highland
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Ovation Hollywood, the shopping center at Hollywood and Highland, hosts movies on select Friday nights. The movies start at 7 in the outdoor courtyard with some activities beginning at 4 pm. You can RSVP for upcoming screenings here.
5/31 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
6/28 The Super Mario Bros. Movie
7/26 The Lego Movie
8/30 Barbie
9/27 Hook
10/25 Hotel Transylvania
11/29 How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Movies on Location
I wish this movie series took place more often because I think it is such a cool concept and so unique. With this movie screening series, you get to watch movies in or near a location where they were filmed. For example, I saw a screening of Top Gun at the Van Nuys Airport where a scene from the movie was filmed. I love that in LA we have so many cool filming locations that allow us to have fun events like this. For 2024, they are showing Star Wars A New Hope on 5/4 Neiman & Company. This building used to be home to ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) where all of the visual effects for this movie were produced. You can purchase your tickets here.
Movie Fridays on Third Street Promenade
A new outdoor movie series for 2024 is at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. You can view the upcoming screenings here.
Torrance Movie Screenings
Picnics, blankets, and lawn chairs are encouraged. You can visit the Movies in the Park City of Torrance website here.
6/15 Migration 8:15 pm 1520 Greenwood Ave
7/13 Trolls Band Together 8:15 pm 3624 Artesia Blvd
8/17 Kung Fu Panda 4 7:45 pm 2200 West Crenshaw Blvd
Movies on the Roof
My Valley Pass and Westfield Fashion Square have partnered for a rooftop screening series in Sherman Oaks. Tickets are $20. Seating is provided with bean bag chairs and Adirondack chairs. Doors open at 7:30 pm and movies start at 8:30 pm. Only food from Westfield Fashion Square is allowed. Screenings will take place every Friday and Saturday night from May 10th through November 30th. You can view the movies and purchase tickets here.
Movie Nights at the Queen Mary
You can reserve free tickets or upgrade to the date night package for $79. The date night package includes reserved couch seating, assorted small snacks, and a bottle of champagne. Reservations are required. You can reserve tickets here. The movie nights run from 6 pm to 10 pm. Movies will begin at dusk. Parking is $10 with validation.
May 15 – Coco
June 12 – Barbie
July 17 – Little Giants
August 21 – Wakanda Forever
September 18 – Wonka
Outdoor Movie Screenings in Orange County
Movies in Orange County Parks
The OC Parks hosts the OC Sunset Cinema. You can see movies at Orange County parks in cities like Fullerton, Brea, Orange, Anaheim, Dana Point, and Laguna Niguel. The screenings are free and include fun pre-show entertainment.
2024 OC Sunset Cinema Schedule
June 7: Wonka (2023) at Craig Regional Park
June 14: The Little Rascals (1994) at Craig Regional Park
June 21: Migration (2023) at Carbon Canyon Regional Park
June 28: Men in Black (1997) at Carbon Canyon Regional Par
July 12: Trolls Band Together (2023) at Mason Regional Park
July 19: Barbie (2023) at Yorba Regional Park
July 26: National Treasure (2004) at Yorba Regional Park
August 2: Frozen II (2019) at Irvine Regional Park
August 9: Napoleon Dynamite (2004) at Irvine Regional Park
August 16: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) at Laguna Niguel Regional Park
August 23: 13 Going on 30 (2004) at Laguna Niguel Regional Park
August 30: The Goonies (1985) at Bluff Park at Salt Creek Beach
Santa Ana Movies in the Park
The City of Santa Ana hosts Summer Movies in the Park. You can view the 2024 schedule here.
If you like Drive-Ins I have blogged about my experience at the Paramount Drive-In, and the Vineland Drive In.
Outdoor Movies In LA Screening Essentials
Since I go to several of these screenings I am constantly adding more items to my personal collection that make these events more comfortable & enjoyable for me. For the screenings where I need to bring my own chair, I use the Tommy Bahama beach chairs that I got from Costco but you can find them on Amazon as well. You can wear them on your back which makes them incredibly easy to transport.
The grass will get wet with the dew during the movies so I love having a blanket down on the ground so that my feet don’t get as cold. I use a pineapple blanket that zips up into a pouch. You can find something similar on Amazon. Other items I love using are a foldable pop-up table & a picnic basket with wheels.
Make sure to bring plenty of blankets & jackets so that you are not tempted to leave early because of how cold you are. Bring quarters in case you need them for parking meters.
