Swap out the indoor theatre for the outdoor amphitheatre this summer with Open Air at the Square’s free outdoor cinema.
Movie nights are getting a makeover this summer. Your most beloved filmmakers, cult-classic gems and undiscovered favourites are all getting a showing at the free Fed Square outdoor cinema.
Pull up a deck chair or bring your own picnic rug – your living room looks a whole lot like the heart of the city this summer. There’s something for every movie-lover on the program, from Bruce Lee tributes to a Dolly Parton birthday screening, and a selection of cinematic masterpieces in between.
Read on to find out what’s screening at Open Air at the Square’s outdoor cinema this summer.
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Christopher Nolan x Hans Zimmer
- January 3 to 5, 8.30pm
- Inception, Interstellar and The Dark Knight
- Big Screen
- More info here
The outdoor cinema is honouring two of the leading masters in modern cinema with this trifecta of screenings of Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer collaborations. Partners in cinematic crime for many years and many films, Open Air at the Square will be showing Inception, Interstellar and The Dark Knight to celebrate these legends of film history. If you’ve never seen these classic films before, the Fed Square Big Screen is the perfect place to experience these masterpieces for the first – or the fiftieth – time.
Wild Westerns
- January 6 to 8, 8.30pm
- Once Upon a Time in the West, Meek’s Cutoff and Seven Samurai
- Big Screen
- More info here
Fed Square is getting a wild west takeover as the cowboys and sherifs come to town this January. This holy trinity of western films is sure to tickle the fancy of every kind of ranger and wrangler out there. From iconic soundtracks to tumbleweed winds, legendary heroes to quintessential villains, there’s no going past a good old fashioned western to keep you company on a hot summers’ night.
Techno Thrillers
- January 9, from 6.30pm
- Tron: Legacy and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
- Big Screen
- More info here
It’s double the fun for this double feature showing of Tron: Legacy and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. You can catch both films back to back at the Square’s Big Screen, within non-stop action and adventure as you soar throughout alternative universes and parallel worlds of techno futuristic possibilities.
Best in Show
- Thursday January 11, 6pm
- Big Screen
- More info here
Open Air at the Square will be host to the launch of the NGV Kids Summer Festival this January, with the outdoor cinema celebrating the festivities with a screening of cult-classic Best in Show. A mockumentary comedy that follows a collection of pet owners that are gearing up to compete in an annual dog show circuit, Best in Show is sure to be bucketload of laughs for the whole family.
Celebrating Dolly Parton
- January 19, from 6pm
- Boot scootin’ boogie and 9 to 5
- Big Screen
- More info here
Calling all Dolly fans – Open Air at the Square will be host to this legend of movies and music’s 79th birthday this January. To celebrate all things Dolly Parton, Country Club Boot Scooting will be kicking festivities off with a boot scooting class at the Square, followed by the cinematic masterpiece of screwball comedy that is 9 to 5. Dress up in your brightest sparkles, strap up your cowboy boots, and get ready to groove and move to Dolly’s discography before you settle down for one of her most iconic films.
Summer of Tennis live site with Channel 9
January 12-18, 11am until the end
- January 19, 11am until 6pm
- January 20-24, 11am until the end
- January 25-26, 7pm until the end
- Big Screen
For the month of January, Melbourne transforms into a tennis-lovers paradise. If you’re looking to soak in the contagious atmosphere of the crowd and watch the games on the big screen for free, Fed Square is the place to be. Grab a lawn chair, pack a picnic and pull up to the square to watch the world’s best go head-to-head only a few kilometres away. There will be rallies! There will be adrenaline! There will be screaming fans!
The Wiz – Midsumma Movies Closing Night
- Friday February 2, 8.30pm
- Big Screen
- More info here
The Wizard of Oz gets an epic reimagining with this iconic film from 1978. An Afrofuturist, all-Black adaption of the 1939 film, The Wiz boasts none other than Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, Nipsey Russell and Richard Pryor in its cast. Better yet, The Wiz is scored by 28-time Grammy Award-winner Quincy Jones and directed by legendary filmmaker Sidney Lumet. Screening as part of the closing night of Midsumma Movies, The Wiz isn’t one to miss. There’s no place like the Square, after all.
Bruce Lee Bonanza
- February 7 and 8, 8.30pm
- Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon
- Big Screen
- More info here
The legend of Hong Kong Kung Fu cinema that is Bruce Lee is coming to town. Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon are taking over Melbourne’s city centre this January. These two classics of masterful marital arts will be blown up for Fed Square’s Big Screen across two nights. Following Lunar New Year celebrations the week before, the Bruce Lee Bonanza is the perfect way to keep the party going as we head into the Year of the Snake. Action-packed and of the most epic of proportions, this pair of films go great with a group of mates and bucketloads of snacks.
Silent Cinema with Live Scores
- February 25 to 27, 8pm
- Ramayana and other tales with a live score by Hari Sivanesan, The Lost World (1925) with a live score by Fred Leone and One Week (1920) and Sherlock Jr. (1924) with a live score by Blue Grassy Knoll
- Main Square
- More info here
Whether you’re a silent cinema fanatic or an uninitiated observer, Open Air at the Square’s outdoor cinema is an ideal space to experience this sacred era of movie magic. This is your chance to catch some phenomenal age-old films over the three nights of silent cinema under the stars. Better yet, these masterpieces will be brought to life with the help of some of Australia’s leading musician-composers. The films will be scored right in front of your eyes, transporting you from the deck chairs at the Square to worlds of cinema’s past through the help of bluegrass, Butchulla songman and classical Indian styles of music to pair with the films on display.
To find out more about the events at Fed Square events, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Fed Square.
