Movie Night Magic: What to Watch This Summer, Snacks, Activities, and More!
Summer is one of my favorite times of the year! I love having more time in the evenings to spend time with my family either outdoors or indoors. I love the weather, even though it gets pretty hot here in Georgia. And one of my favorite things about summer is all the movies! We’re planning to see a few movies in theaters, but what I really love is a movie night in. So, in this edition of Movie Night Magic, I’ve got some summer movie ideas for you! Check out these movie options based on the type of audience you have, complete with snack suggestions and activities you can do to add to the fun! Whether you need a great movie for a fun family night, a date night, or night with friends, I got you.
*Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, What A Good Day earns a small commission. Thank you for your support!
Summer Movie Night for Families
Movie Suggestions
- Lilo and Stitch: Hawaii. Aliens. Elvis. It’s one of the most underrated Disney films of all time, and perfect for summer. Ohana means family.
- The Parent Trap: Both the original with Hayley Mills and the remake with Lindsey Lohan are excellent!
- The Goonies: A classic staple from my childhood about a group of friends and a treasure: the perfect summer movie!
- The Sandlot: Summer and baseball just go together and this is my favorite baseball movie for kids.
- ET: I love this movie. If your kids haven’t seen it, add it to your list for this summer.
Activities and Snacks Ideas:
- Make Summer Cookies: Check out these cute cookie cutters from Amazon in shapes like a palm tree, sunglasses, and a mermaid tail. Buy or make cookie dough, let the kids cut out their favorite shapes. Bake and decorate with icing and fun sprinkles.
- Make it a Drive-In Movie: Take your movie outside for an amazing movie night! Check out this projector and screen that is highly rated, not terribly expensive, and ideal for outdoor use.
- Play Summer Bingo: Use these free printables from Five Minutes for Mom as your boards and M&Ms or other candy as the pieces.
- Organize Snacks Individually: Use school supply caddies like the one pictured for easy snacking during the movie.
Movies for a Perfect Summer Date Night
Movie Suggestions
- Mamma Mia: It’s a musical set by the sea in Greece with an all-star cast and songs by ABBA. It’s one of my favorite date movies!
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall: One of my favorite irreverent romantic comedies. Great cast and side-splitting laughs.
- I Know What You Did Last Summer: A classic 90’s teen scary flick, it’s a great movie to watch while cuddling up together.
- Dirty Dancing: I know in some ways this movie hasn’t aged well, but I love the music and the chemistry between Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. And it offers some good opportunities for conversation about really important topics.
- Crazy Rich Asians: A great rom-com about destination weddings and overbearing families. Another great cast and perfect date movie!
Activities and Snack Ideas
- Make a cute Summer Sign: The blog HomeBNC has tons of cool DIY ideas for fun summer signs that you can check out here.
- Make a fun Summer Snack: I think it would be so fun to pick a snack off this list of summer snacks by Insanely Good Recipes and make it together.
- Plan a Summer Trip: Put on a movie in the background and use the time to plan a summer trip together!
- Use one of the activities from the family section: I especially think making it a drive-in movie would be fun!
Summer Movie Night with Friends
Movie Suggestions
- Independence Day: A great action flick that has it all, and it’s set on the 4th of July!
- National Lampoon’s Vacation: A hilarious classic that everyone who loves family vacations should see.
- Little Miss Sunshine: You’ll laugh and cry watching this indie film about pageants, road trips, and what brings families together.
- Jaws: A staple of the horror genre and a fantastic beach movie, perfect for summer!
- Caddyshack: This movie about golf is both hilarious and awesome.
Activities and Snack Ideas:
- Again, Make It a Drive-In Movie: This is really my favorite idea for any type of group!
- Make some Summer-Themed Drinks: Check out this great list of cocktails perfect for summer from Delish.
- Grill Out: This is a simple idea and it’s something that is so fun in the summertime. Grill your favorite foods and eat while watching your movie together.
- Make Your Own Summer Movie: After you watch a movie, have fun making your own. Maybe make one that spoofs the one you just watched, or see which team can do the best reshoot of a key scene, or come up with your own idea.
What are you watching this Summer?
So, what is your go-to Summer movie? What are your favorite things to do for fun in the summertime? Drop a comment below and let me know!
And if you are looking for more ways to make it an amazing summer, check out these posts:
- Five Simple Tips for Amazing Summer Road Trips!
- What’s On Your Summer Reading List? Here are Our Picks!
- Five Easy Ways to Kick Your Cookout Up a Notch
- Everything you need to plan the ultimate picnic!
- Easy Chocolate Frosty Homemade Ice Cream Recipe
- 5 Simple Ways to Add Adventure and Excitement to Your Kids’ Lives!
Note: Content of this post belongs to Jamie @whatagoodday.com. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. I’m happy for you to share this post but be sure to link to this post. Thank you.
So many wonderful ideas for summer fun!