Whether you’re planning to invite over your friends to celebrate your birthday or scheduling in a date night with your partner, you can’t go wrong with a movie night. Lowkey, comfortable and entertaining, they’re a great way to relax after a stressful week.

With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to plan the perfect movie night.

• Choose the right movie(s). Sometimes it can be hard to decide what kind of movie you are in the mood for, but unless you want to waste a good portion of your night scrolling through Netflix, you must choose which movies you want to watch ahead of time for your movie night. For example, you might want to keep your eyes peeled for the latest releases or re-watch one of your childhood favorites if you’re feeling nostalgic. You should also look up how to change netflix region on your laptop, as this means you could gain access to content that isn’t currently available in your region.

• Focus on the setup. The right setup is essential when planning a successful movie night – after all, you want to be comfortable when settling down for a movie marathon. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways in which you can go about creating the right setup. For example, you could invest in a projector to create a cinematic experience in your home or simply bring out the pillows and throws to make your lounge much more comfortable. If you’re still in full-parenting mode during your date night, you could also create a pillow fort! While this may seem a little childish, it can actually be a lot of fun. You could also work on creating the perfect atmosphere for your movie night by dimming the lights or hanging fairy lights to create a romantic atmosphere. 

• Have snacks on hand. Is it really a movie night if you’re not treating yourself to some delicious snacks mid-movie? However, to avoid making repeat trips to the kitchen during the most important bits of the film, you must have plenty of snacks on hand ahead of time. You could even take this to the next level by choosing themed snacks. For example, if you’re watching Star Wars, you could make Darth Vader Sugar Cookies that will go down a hit with anyone present! Alternatively, you could always order takeout if you want to keep out of the kitchen altogether during your movie night! This will also save you time when it comes to washing up. Either way, you should also make sure that you have a supply of popcorn on hand – as it simply isn’t a movie night if there is no popcorn present. 

• Make some fun drinks. During the movie night, it’s also vital that you have access to delicious drinks that you can pair with your snacks. Again, it could be fun to base your drinks menu on the movies you’re going to be watching. For example, if you’re about to press play on the Harry Potter movies, you could pour yourself a Butterbeer (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) to bring a little more magic into your home. Alternatively, you could focus on sugary drinks that will give everyone lots of energy – which is particularly important if you’re planning a lengthy movie marathon and don’t want to drift off too early on. 

• Set your phone to silent. There’s nothing worse than somebody’s phone going off mid-movie in the cinema. As a result, you should set your phone to silent and try not to check it too much during the movie – especially if you want to truly immerse yourself in the experience. After all, you don’t want to miss out on crucial plot points because you were checking your Instagram feed. Having a no-phone rule is also a great way to ensure you’re actually spending quality time with your guests too. 

• Turn it into a drinking game. Another way you can take your movie night to the next level is by finding a way to make it a little more interactive. For example, you could turn it into a drinking game (though participants don’t have to drink if they don’t want to). To play, put together a bingo card ahead of time that contains common movie tropes. This might be easier to put together if you’ve seen the movie in question before, as you can make sure they will definitely come up. Then, whenever a player notices a moment in the film that matches their card, they have to tick the statement off and have a drink.