4 Tips to Turn Your Living Room Into a Movie Theater

If you’re getting ready for a fun movie night, make sure your living room is up to par. There are a lot of factors to consider when planning the perfect movie night, and you should be prepared for all the ins and outs of theater life.

What does a family movie night look like in our household?

We order pizza, chicken wings, and breadsticks. We love pepperoni pizza, beef pizza, and barbecue wings.

We pile up on the living room couches, turn off all the lights, and bundle up in blankets, while enjoying a nice movie on the screen with full surround sound.

Depending on work schedules, extracurricular activities, and who spent the night out, we may have a family movie night on the weekend or sometimes we have one during the week.

Some of our family favorites include Disney, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, or a movie from the Transformers series.

FAVORITE FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT IDEAS

• Family-Friendly Movies
• Star Trek Movies
• Marvel Movies
• Feel-Good Movies

Check out this guide on ways to turn your living room into a movie theater so your movie night can be flawless.

4 Tips to Turn Your Living Room Into a Movie Theater

Have comfy seating

There’s nothing worse than arriving at a movie theater only to realize it’s filled with bleacher-like seating. Make sure your living room is transformed into the comfiest version of itself.

Cover the couch in pillows for extra cushion, add an ottoman so you can put your feet up and relax, and keep a stock of blankets within arm’s reach in case you get chilly.

Shut the light out

This is especially if you’re having a matinee show, but even an evening movie could benefit from room darkening shades. Find the right window coverings to block out the sun—and the glare that comes with it! If glare comes in, it could ruin your immersive movie experience. Curtains are also a good aid to stop a particularly bright street lamp.

Check the volume

Good speakers are necessary for a true movie theater experience. Even if you don’t want to invest in permanent, movie-theater-quality speakers, an additional Bluetooth speaker or an old surround sound system will do the trick.

When all else fails, turn the volume way up. Most theaters have the volume very loud to help get their patrons into the spirit and involved in the movie-watching experience. Turning the volume higher than normal can give the illusion the movie is more intense, or you’re more involved in it than in your day-to-day show watching.

Prepare the concessions

What’s the best part about going to the movie theater? The snacks! Whether you’re a salty or sweet fan, get all kinds of snacks ready. Be sure to have the movie theater staples: heavily-buttered popcorn, big boxes of candy, and lots of sugary drink options. 

RELATED: Best Movie Popcorn

Bonus Tip: Movie theaters also typically have hot food options, such as pretzels or pizza. If you want to make your movie night into a dinner party, these foods will do the trick!

CHECK OUT THESE POSTS, TOO:

• How to Prepare for a Binge-Watching Marathon
• How to Plan Family Movie Night
• Why You Should Upgrade to a 4K TV
• 4 Steps for Setting Up the Perfect Entertainment Center
• 8 ways to spruce up a home movie theater
• movie sleepover party ideas
• family-friendly movies

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What to Watch Guide

Raki Wright launched What to Watch Guide to help movie lovers streaming from all around the world find the best movies on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and more.

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