You’ve found our list of the best office movie night ideas.
Office movie night ideas are onsite events that transform the workplace into a theater for the evening. Examples of these ideas include themed viewings, fun movie-oriented activities, and snack bar-style treats. The purpose of office movie nights is to provide a cinematic experience for workers to enjoy as a team.
Office movie night ideas are fun activities for large groups and can feature movies about leadership to foster team building skills among the team.
This list includes:
- movie night ideas for adults
- fun food for movie nights
- how to set up for movie nights
- good movies to watch in the office
- office movie night activities
Here we go!
Movie night ideas for adults
1. Black History Month
Films that explore significant moments in Black History make great choices for office film nights. Titles like Malcolm X, Selma, and Judas and the Black Messiah dramatize figures and events from the Civil Rights Movement. For a more educational film night, you can also choose from documentaries like 13th and In Our Mother’s Gardens. Additionally, movies by contemporary filmmakers like Jordan Peele and Ava DuVernay show the creativity of the Black community. These works can launch important conversations about the experiences of Black Americans.
Check out this list of films that will help you observe Black History Month.
2. Oscar Party
Your team can get into the Oscar spirit with a DIY Oscar party! A line-up of nominated films from the current year will allow viewers to decide if those films are award-worthy. Titles from the Best Picture category provide a great range of options. You can also select Oscar-winning films from prior years for a fun Academy Award round-up. With so many choices, the team can vote on their favorites to narrow the list.
Take a look at this list of Best Picture Oscar winners from every year to help you choose.
3. Sports Teamwork
Few movie genres demonstrate the need for teamwork like sports films. To inspire your crew, try an uplifting title like Invictus, Glory Road, or Friday Night Lights. You can also choose coach-oriented movies with leadership themes, such as Coach Carter, Hoosiers, or Hustle. Even silly sports films like Dodgeball and The Sandlot model cooperation and camaraderie among team members. When delivered in an entertaining package, these lessons make fun choices for office movie night.
You can check out this list of some of the best sports films of all time to get started.
4. Superhero Power
When it comes to setting examples for overcoming adversity, no movies rise to the occasion like superhero films. These works take a fantasy approach to sincere topics like teamwork and perseverance. As the master of the superhero genre, Marvel Studios offers your most heroic options for film night magic. Series like Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy demonstrate the power of a well-coordinated team.
Viewers do not need to look for themes in your superhero movie night. Instead, you can prompt your team afterward with questions about how well the heroes work together and what challenges they face.
Take a look at this list of superhero films that give teamwork themes a cinematic treatment.
5. Laugh-A-Thon
You can plan a night of laughs to allow your team to unwind after a busy, pressure-filled week. Though every employee has a different sense of what makes a film funny, you can choose lighthearted fare with humorous themes that your entire team can appreciate. Thoughtful comedies like The Truman Show and Stranger Than Fiction show the more creative side of comedy films, something viewers will appreciate. Romantic comedies such as When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride are timeless favorites that are likely to please a range of comedic tastes.
If choosing your comedy proves difficult, then you can recruit your team to help you make the choice. Team members can offer their movie titles for the rest of the team to vote on. This process will allow viewers an equal opportunity to weigh in on the film they want to watch.
This list of comedy films will get you started.
6. Best of the Decade
Every decade has its own selection of memorable titles that make a fun office movie night theme. You can let your team pick a decade to focus your film choices, then select titles that best represent that decade. For example, if the decade is the ’80s, then you can choose from the ten Brat Pack movies, action films featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, or thrillers like Fatal Attraction and Jagged Edge. If the final list contains a wide array of options, then you can put the names in a hat and choose one at random.
These lists of the top 100 movies from each decade, from the silent film era through the 2010s, will provide inspiration.
7. Spirit of Adventure
The excitement of a well-made adventure film can add a thrilling element to your office movie night. Classics like Raiders of the Lost Ark, National Treasure, and The Mummy will get viewers’ hearts pounding. Space adventures such as the Star Wars franchise and the Stargate series can take viewers to entirely new worlds. A fantasy adventure like Lord of the Rings conjures dramatic landscapes and epic quests that spark the imagination. The escapism of these adventure films is a great way for weary workers to relax. No matter what realm your team travels to, they will appreciate the voyage!
Check out this list of adventure movies to add excitement to your office movie night.
Fun food for movie nights
8. Personalized Popcorn
Your office movie night becomes more authentic with the aroma of fresh popcorn filling your makeshift office theater! A rented popcorn machine will provide cinema-style snacks right in the office. You can set up a table with savory seasonings and sweet sprinkles for your team to customize their own bags. A selection of add-ins like pretzels, potato chips, and bite-sized cookies can turn popcorn creations into deluxe trail mix-style treats.
For a more budget-friendly option, use bags of microwave popcorn as a base for seasonings and add-ins instead.
9. Nacho Bar
A few bags of tortilla chips and a jar of cheese sauce become a make-your-own nacho bar your team will love. To create a full-blown nacho spread, you can set up dishes with pickled jalapeños, chopped tomatoes, and onions. Self-service will let your team prepare their own, though a designated team member playing nacho attendant adds a nice touch! If chip crunching is a distraction during the film, then plan your nacho service for before or after the movie.
10. Sundae Station
Your movie fans will be thrilled to create their own ice cream combinations at a movie night sundae station. Scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and cookies and cream ice cream create a satisfying base for bowls and cones. A selection of cookie crumbles, chocolate and caramel syrup, and flavored sprinkles make tasty toppings and mix-ins. With a batch of chocolate chip cookies, your crew can create their own ice cream sandwiches too!
For team members who prefer a nondairy treat, include a pint or two of Halo Top or Ben and Jerry’s plant-based ice cream in the mix.
11. Wings and Bar Bites
Bar foods like hot wings, fries, and onion rings make excellent snacks for film night. To make the work simple, order from a nearby restaurant and set up a buffet for viewers to visit as they like. A variety that includes potato skins, sliders, and soft pretzels will help your spread satisfy a range of tastes. You can add lighter fare, such as veggie sticks and ranch dressing, to balance out the heavier bites.
12. Pizza
Pizza is an all-occasion people pleaser, including an occasion like office movie night! You can order from a local pizzeria to stock your worksite cinema with an array of delicious pies. Before your event, take an email vote to decide how many pizzas you will need and which toppings to order.
Though sodas and beers make fantastic beverages, you can add a sophisticated touch by offering cocktails and mocktails to the drink menu.
13. Dessert Buffet
You can treat your team to a selection of indulgent desserts to sweeten your office movie night. These treats can range from simple goodies like home-baked cookies to more decadent offerings like French pastries from a nearby bakery. A tempting menu of cupcakes, brownies, and pies will provide a sugary spread while supporting a small local business. Of course, store-bought options from a grocery store will work just as well for teams on a budget.
For a more interactive dessert buffet, invite your workers to contribute their own dishes and create a dessert potluck. Team members can choose their favorites and trade recipes after the movie.
How to set up for movie nights
14. Choose a movie
Choosing the right movie will set the tone for your office movie night. By considering upcoming cultural moments, you can select a film that ties into current events. Whether you choose an entertaining title or a more substantial work, the film’s theme will help you choose related games and activities.
You may want to include your team in the movie selection process. An online survey or an email asking for suggestions will help you narrow the choices until you find a winner.
15. Download your film
Because streaming can be tricky for workplaces with limited Wi-Fi coverage, be sure to download your film to a laptop or tablet before viewing. Downloading in advance will eliminate glitches and ensure a seamless experience for your viewers. If your film choice is a Blu-Ray or DVD, then you can locate and set up a player ahead of the event.
16. Choose a viewing room
To make your office movie night as comfortable as possible, reserve a conference room or multipurpose space to use as a theater. A room with a Bluetooth-enabled monitor will let you stream your film without wires. If your tech requires hard connections, then you can work with your IT team to ensure your device connects properly.
If you have access to a projector and screen, then you can make your viewing experience even more authentic. Rooms with wireless sound systems will provide rich sound, though you can set up a portable sound bar if necessary. The idea is to make the viewing experience as cinematic as possible!
17. Set up seating
Your team will appreciate comfortable seating during their movie night. Office chairs make great cinema seats, adjustable to each viewer’s comfort level. Conference room tables are ideal for setting up snack stations and providing dining space. For office movie nights that use a break room or cafeteria, be sure to arrange chairs around the screen to give every watcher a clear view.
Good movies to watch in the office
17. Action Movies
- Raiders of the Lost Ark series
- Jurassic Park series
- Pirates of the Caribbean series
- Uncharted
- Die Hard series
- Mad Max series
- National Treasure
- The Mummy
- Independence Day
- True Lies
- James Bond series
- Inception
- Jason Bourne series
- Mission: Impossible series
- Fast and the Furious series
18. Superhero Movies
- Black Panther series
- Iron Man series
- The Dark Knight
- Man of Steel
- Spider-Man series
- Thor series
- Justice League
- The Batman
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers series
- Captain America series
- Black Widow
- Captain Marvel
- Ant-Man series
- Shazam!
19. Comedy Movies
- 9 to 5
- The Internship
- Anchorman
- Office Space
- Working Girl
- Up in the Air
- The Social Network
- Spy
- The Devil Wears Prada
- Stranger Than Fiction
- When Harry Met Sally
- Big
- The Princess Bride
- The Truman Show
- Groundhog Day
20. ’80s Movies
- Sixteen Candles
- Terminator series
- Pretty in Pink
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- Police Academy series
- Fatal Attraction
- Cocktail
- Weird Science
- Top Gun
- Jagged Edge
- Young Guns
- Wall Street
- St. Elmo’s Fire
- E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial
- The Goonies
21. Animated Movies
- Monsters, Inc.
- Pets
- The Incredibles
- Howl’s Moving Castle
- The Iron Giant
- Robots
- Toy Story
- Kung Fu Panda
- Moana
- The Lego Movie
- Encanto
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Wolfwalkers
- The Lion King
- Nightmare Before Christmas
Office movie night activities
22. Movie Reviews
Your viewers are bound to have opinions about the movies they watch. You can schedule a review session after the film ends to get the team talking. The discussion will go better with a mediator leading the process. Questions about the film’s storyline, performances, and themes will help you start the cinema chatter. Where it leads is entirely up to the critics in the audience!
23. Sing-Along
You can choose a musical film with well-known songs to encourage a film night sing-along. This activity will lend an interactive element that energizes the evening with fun and memorable moments. Movies like Frozen, Grease, and Encanto contain earworms your team members will likely know. Because these films are musical in nature, the singing should not be a distraction, no matter how off-key it might be!
24. Character Dress-Up
To make sure your workers get into the office movie night spirit, invite the team to dress in costume. Attendees can choose a figure from the movie of the evening or select a character from their favorite title. Costumes can be as simple as a hat and sunglasses or as complex as full cosplay garb. To add some friendly competition, host a costume contest before or after the movie, with applause from the crowd indicating the winners. You can present a small token, such as a movie theater gift card or boxed theater candy, as a prize.
25. Cinema Bingo
Cinema Bingo can be a fun film night activity for movies with memorable phrases or recognizable tropes.
Here is how the game works:
- Create Bingo cards with a simple list of familiar items from your chosen film.
- Print your cards and hand them out to your team before the film, with small items like paper clips or M&Ms as markers.
- Players cover a space each time the characters speak a particular line or perform a specific action found on their cards.
- The first player to fill in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row wins a small prize.
Here is a website for creating your own office movie night Bingo cards.
26. Six Degrees of Recognition
Many film fans love making connections between actors, their costars, and their previous works. As a fun movie night game, encourage viewers to call out other films that feature the onscreen performers. To keep the activity from becoming distracting, you can hand out notepads and pens to let watchers write down their notes. After the movie ends, open a discussion about the connections your team picked up on during the film.
Conclusion
Office movie nights provide a fun and easy activity to unite your team. Depending on your choice of films, you can plan for pure entertainment or create an educational experience for your crew. With fun film-oriented activities and a variety of exciting snacks and drinks, you can capture the spirit of a night at the cinema that gives your workers an onsite treat.
Next, read about ideas for work social events and office game nights.
We also have a list of the best office snacks for work.
Grace He