A list of over 100 best outdoor movies for all ages and all season to host the ultimate crowd-pleasing backyard movie night.
Regardless of the season, setting up an outdoor theater is one of our favorite things to host in our backyard regularly.
Even in December, setting up a good movie on the outdoor screen with cups of hot cocoa in hand snuggled under blankets by the fire pit and patio heaters is a cozy way to have a fun evening together around Christmas.
Recently, our family came up with a big list of great ideas for the BEST outdoor movie theater classics to watch on the big screen.
I also asked our Instagram followers to add to the list of outdoor movie recommendations too!
So I thought it would be a helpful resource to share all of the top rated backyard movie night films, many of them being nostalgic classics that everyone of all ages love, to help you plan your own outdoor movie night.
How to Pick the Right Movie for a Family Movie Night
Consider the Season
We love showing baseball or beach themed movies (like The Sandlot or Jaws) as a summer activity.
In the fall, it’s fun to set out lawn chairs around the outdoor movie screen for Halloween or football movies (like Hocus Pocus or Remember the Titans).
On a cold night while gathering around the campfire in winter, snuggling up with a Christmas movie or a film set with snow (like Home Alone or While You Were Sleeping) is a great way to make the evening even cozier.
The list of movie recommendations categorized by season is further below in this post.
Think About the Age Group
I mean, I know this one goes without saying, but if you have a crowd full of toddlers, they probably won’t jive well with a slasher horror feature film.
It’s probably worth mentioning that movies rated PG on or before the production year 1983 might be for more mature audiences since the MPAA introduced the PG-13 rating in 1984.
(The list below includes movie ratings and production dates to help you use discretion best suited for your audience.)
Common Sense Media is a good place to check parent guides for any language, violence, sex, nudity, alcohol, or drug use before hosting a movie event (and can help you find films with more cultural diversity too).
Account for Movie Length
Most crowds don’t enjoy watching a movie that’s longer than 2 hours or else it gets uncomfortable and people start getting tired.
Best Spring / Summer Movies for Outdoor Movie Night
These are the top rated films with beach, summer sports, warmer weather themes, or set during summertime if you need a backyard movie night idea in the summer.
- The Sandlot – 1993 | PG
- Overboard – 1987 | PG
- Dirty Dancing – 1987 | PG-13
- Heavyweights – 1995 | PG
- Parent Trap – 1998 | PG
- The Secret Garden – 1993 | G
- Field of Dreams – 1989 | PG
- Rookie of the Year – 1993 | PG
- The Karate Kid – 1984 | PG
- Dr. Dolittle – 1998 | PG-13
- A League of Their Own – 1992 | PG
- Independence Day – 1996 | PG-13
- Jaws – 1975 | PG
- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – 2005 | PG
- Blue Crush – 2002 | PG-13
- Under the Tuscan Sun – 2003 | PG-13
- The Great Outdoors – 1988 | PG
- George of the Jungle – 1997 | PG
- Mamma Mia – 2008 | PG-13
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – 2017 | PG-13
- Caddyshack – 1980 | R
- Fever Pitch – 2005 | PG-13
Best Fall Movies for Outdoor Movie Night
These are the top rated movies featuring Halloween, Thanksgiving, fall sports/activities, fall weather themes, or set during autumn.
- Edward Scissorhands – 1990 | PG-13
- Hocus Pocus – 1993 | PG
- Remember the Titans – 2000 | PG
- Dead Poets Society – 1989 | PG
- Beetlejuice – 1988 | PG
- Practical Magic – 1998 | PG-13
- Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone – 2001 | PG
- Matilda – 1996 | PG
- Friday Night Lights – 2004 | PG-13
- The Witches – 1990 | PG
- The Village – 2004 | PG-13
- The Goonies – 1985 | PG
- E.T., The Extra Terrestrial – 1982 | PG
- Planes, Trains, and Automobiles – 1987 | R
- October Sky – 1999 | PG
- Ghostbusters – 1984 | PG
- The Blind Side – 2009 | PG-13
- Rudy – 1993 | PG
- Clue – 1985 | PG
- Murder on the Orient Express – 1974 | PG
Best Christmas / Winter Movies for Movie Night by the Campfire
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – 2005 | PG
- Cool Runnings – 1993 | PG
- Sleepless in Seattle – 1993 | PG
- Home Alone – 1990 | PG
- The Holiday – 2006 | PG-13
- Elf – 2003 | PG
- While You Were Sleeping – 1995 | PG
- Knives Out – 2019 | PG-13
- Little Women – 1994 | PG
- Trading Places – 1983 | R
- Meet Me in St. Louis – 1944
- Love Actually – 2003 | R
- The Lord of the Rings – 2001 | PG-13
- It’s a Wonderful Life – 1946 | PG
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – 1989 | PG-13
- The Santa Clause | 1994 | PG
- The Muppet Christmas Carol – 1992 | G
- White Christmas – 1954
- Gremlins – 1984 | PG
- A Christmas Story – 1983 | PG
- Die Hard – 1988 | R
- Holiday Inn | 1942
More Great Outdoor Movies for Kids
These movies have little to no profanity, violence, nudity, or adult situations better suited for children. But they’re also fun for people of all ages. (Review movies beforehand at Common Sense Media to double check.)
Let kids sprawl out on their own blankets or set up bean bag chairs.
If you need some fun ideas for party themes, host a backyard camp-out movie birthday party, have a Hollywood red carpet movie backyard sleepover, or have a drive-in movie theme with cars for younger kids.
- Hook – 1991 | PG
- Singing in the Rain – 1952 | G
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – 1989 | PG-13
- The Greatest Showman – 2017 | PG
- The Princess Bride – 1987 | PG
- The Big Green – 1995 | PG
- Night at the Museum – 2006 | PG
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids – 1989 | PG
- Honey, I Blew Up the Kid – 1992 | PG
- The Sound of Music – 1965 | G
- The Never Ending Story – 1984 | PG
- Freaky Friday – 2003 | PG
- The Wizard of Oz – 1939 | G
- Cheaper by the Dozen – 2003 | PG
- National Treasure – 2004 | PG
- Galaxy Quest – 1999 | PG
- Jumanji – 1995 | PG
- Mary Poppins – 1964 | G
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – 1971 | G
- Star Wars: A New Hope – 1977 | PG
Great Outdoor Movies for More Mature Audiences
- Back to the Future – 1985 | PG
- Jurassic Park – 1993 | PG-13
- Grease – 1978 | PG
- The Mask of Zorro – 1998 | PG-13
- Twister – 1996 | PG-13
- Big – 1988 | PG
- Mrs. Doubtfire – 1993 | PG-13
- Major Payne – 1995 | PG-13
- Father of the Bride – 1991 | PG
- Liar Liar – 1997 | PG-13
- The Mask – 1994 | PG-13
- 10 Things I Hate About You – 1999 | PG-13
- My Girl – 1991 | PG
- Ferris Beuller’s Day Off – 1986 | PG-13
- Pirates of the Caribbean – 2003 | PG-13
- The Patriot – 2000 | R
- Sixteen Candles – 1984 | PG
- Clueless – 1995 | PG-13
- That Thing You Do – 1996 | PG
- Hidden Figures – 2016 | PG
- A Wrinkle in Time – 2018 | PG
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail – 1975 | PG
It’s officially our new life goal to introduce all of the 80s and 90s movies that we grew up on to our kids.
Do you have any favorite movies that would be perfect to show at a backyard movie night? Have you ever hosted one before?
I’m sure there are more great movies we haven’t thought of, but we had so much fun coming up with this list.
