A private watch party is a provision offered by movie theaters allowing people to book an entire auditorium for a small fee and invite their selected few guests to come to watch a movie of their choice. The private watch party gives people the privacy and flexibility to enjoy the entire theater and is mostly rented in three-hour time slots.
With private watch parties, people no longer have to wait till theaters air their desired shows to book their seats and watch alongside the entire people filled in the auditorium. Instead, it allows people to book a movie theater at specific showtime, select their desired private movie, and tag along with their friends.
How Does Private Watch Party Work?
The process of renting an entire movie theater for a private watch party differs depending on the theater. Nevertheless, the process is more of the same. Customers only need to book their space and theater time for a private screening, mainly via the theater’s website. Depending on the theater, there is a limitation on the number of guests to invite, and it mostly ranges between 20 to 30 guests.
Customers can then choose which movie they wish to watch from the theater’s movie selection. Additionally, some theaters allow customers to come with food, those requiring no heating or buy at a favorable price from the theater. Some of the theaters will have their snack bars open throughout the session for people to buy their movie delicacies.
Renting movie theaters is done in advance, at least one week ahead, depending on the customer’s location, to avoid a case of missing theater vacancies. Some theaters even allow people to come with their movies to watch privately until their showtime elapses.
How To Host A Private Watch Party
If you’re hosting a private watch party, it’s essential to plan your party well. While you’re doing this, consider some of the following tips:
- Keep the party small. All your guests should understand that your private party isn’t open to the public. This makes your guests comfortable, and ensures that it doesn’t become a mob scene.
- Keep the party quiet. To keep your celebrations private, keep the party small and outdoors, if possible.
- Keep it simple. Planning a private watch party isn’t rocket science. A good party hosts a variety of foods, drinks, and activities. Keep things simple.
- Hire help. You don’t have to do all the party planning yourself. Hire help for tasks that you can delegate to others.
Want to rent a theater to watch your favorite movie with your friends? Want to host a Halloween private watch party in your Halloween costumes and not feel weird? Below is a quick step-by-step guide for hosting a private watch party for any event:
Step 1
The first thing is to decide on which theater you want to use. Typical theaters include AMC, Regal, Alamo, Cinemark theaters, Castro, etc.
Step 2
Visit the website of your chosen theater, depending on your location.
Step 3
Some sites will give you a form to fill out containing the watch date, time, location, and personal details, such as your name and email address.
Step 4
Select the desired movie to watch and the group size of the people to invite.
Step 5
Next, you need to make your payments, ranging from $99, and schedule the private watch party.
Step 5
Some theaters will send you an email link to share with your friends to purchase tickets and other snacks.
Step 6
Also, check the regulations of the theaters in terms of whether it allows bringing foodstuffs or not and other health regulations, such as wearing masks.
And that’s it! With the above guide, you are now ready to rent your private watch party and have some fun with your friends while watching your favorite movie.
Best Movie Theaters For Hosting Private Watch Party
- AMC
- Cinemark
- The Regal
- Alamo Drafthouse
- The Castro Theatre
- Skyline Drive-In
- The Oriental – Milwaukee
- The 21st Street Warren
- The Admiral Twin Drive-In
AMC
- The theater is clean and well organized
- It offers a wide variety of snacks
- Ample parking lots
- It has limited seats, which quickly sell out
- Their foodstuffs are relatively costly
- Alamo Drafthouse
If feeling comfortable is your first priority when visiting any theater, then AMC is your place to be. The AMC theaters are well known for their reclining seats giving people the best comfort when watching. AMC knows how best to create value for its customers.
They exhibit high-quality films that are on demand. Additionally, AMC has invested in IMAX, RealD 3D, and Dolby audiovisual to ensure the best watching experience for their customers.
Their theatrical quality goes beyond their quality screen to include mobile ordering of various concessions. Plus, they have lounges and bars serving the best drinks, making it a place to consider for a private watch party.
Reservations are quickly made online to book your space. Even when you come late, you are guaranteed your space is intact. Payment is only made via card, no cash transactions are accepted, and their staffs are very helpful.
Read my detailed comparison on Dolby Cinema Vs. IMAX theater experience here.
Cinemark
- It gifts guests with gift card vouchers
- Their employees are friendly to guests in the theater
- The place is clean, and its menu has a variety of goodies
- They have no regulations, and disturbance or noise in the theater is likely
- Their online customer service is not the best
Cinemark private watch party theater is a modern theater loved by many locals of San Antonio. It’s perfect for bringing kids as guests can easily see the big screens in the auditorium. Moreover, it allows tagging along with pets. However, the theater is small, and booking in advance is the only way to get a spot in the theatre.
Their seats are quality, and the theater is spacious enough to give guests a relaxing time.
Cinemark XD theaters are fitted with 11.1 sound speakers, each playing a different soundtrack and a bass subwoofer to produce the rumbly noises. Other theaters are equipped with JBL Pro speakers, which guarantee the high quality of their audio to guests across the theater.
Read my comparison between 4DX Vs. IMAX movie theater experience here. Cinemark XD vs. Digital cinema comparison here.
The Regal
- Tickets are cheaper
- It is clean and tidy
- Their staff is friendly
- The seats are not children-friendly in terms of clear sight of the screen
- Parking space is challenging to find
As a leading motion picture exhibitor, Regal entertainment prides owning the largest and with an edge-cutting technology theatres circuits in the USA. Regal’s video and audio quality are world-class. They use 4DX, which puts guests right into the real action by utilizing seat movements and sensory effects.
Additionally, Regal has assistive technology for people with visual and hearing impairments to ensure they are not left out, such as assistive listening and closed captions.
They have comfy seats, and their décor is world-class with clear lighting to enable guests to have an easy time watching their films, even from the back.
Read the differences between RPX Vs. IMAX movie theater experience here.
Alamo Drafthouse
- Enforces a silencing policy inside the theaters ensuring people have ample time to focus on the movie without noise
- It offers vegetarian options
- They have respectful and well-organized staff
- It doesn’t accept any Apple or Android pay
- No dogs are allowed
The Alamo Drafthouse is one of the best theaters in downtown Brooklyn. The theater has good lighting, and its strict policies, such as no late entries and talking or texting inside the theater, adds to its quality standards.
Alamo theatres improved their video quality by using game-changing Dolby Atmos technology for their audiovisual to ensure they provide 3D audio and visual experiences to their guests. It also has the Alamo on-demand platform through which guests can discuss outside theaters their favorite movies and those they would wish to come to watch in the theatre.
The place has good seats that give a clear view of the screen, whether from the back or front. Their staff is amazing, and their food menu caters to everyone, including vegans. Their reclining chairs offer room to place drinks and snacks, giving one a luxurious feeling while watching.
The remarkable features offered by Alamo make it the perfect theater for a private watch party, away from all the noise and disturbance, giving one the privacy and peaceful moment they deserve.
The Castro Theatre
- It offers a wide selection of movies
- The theater promotes unity among people through sing-alongs
- Easy to take public transport from around the theater
- Their food menu is not the greatest
- The parking space is limited
The Castro theater is an iconic 1400 seat theater located in San Francisco. The place is well developed and decorated, and its old architecture attracts many people.
The theater has plush seats, which give people a good and comfortable view of the screen. Their 3D video and audio are high quality, even for the people seated at the back. The theater doesn’t allow food to be brought inside, but concessions are sold from their café.
The theaters offer entertainment before the main shows start to keep people revived and anxious to dive into the movie. However, no pets are allowed in the theater, and tickets go for $22 for two adults.
Here I have compared IMAX Vs. Standard 70MM movie theaters.
Skyline Drive-In
- They have excellent health regulation measures, with minimal contacts
- Affordable prices for tickets and snacks
- Despite the dispersed speakers, the environment is lowkey and friendly to avoid disturbing the neighboring residents
- Staying outside exposes you to the cold breeze and mosquitoes
- A wrong position of the car can hinder your view of the movie screen
If you enjoy watching your movies with your lovely pet beside you, then Skyline drive-in is your perfect movie theater. The theater, located in New York, has large 3D screens visible even to the people parked at the rear. The audio is transmitted via high-quality speakers and radio signals, and guests can use their vehicle radios to listen or borrow an FM receiver from the snack bar.
English subtitles are also displayed for people with hearing difficulties.
The theater’s location gives a clear view of the Manhattan skyline, an epic view to keep customers engaged before the movie starts.
The Oriental – Milwaukee
- The theater has clean washrooms
- Screening ensures the health of the customers is guaranteed
- The quality of films shown are outstanding
- Old seats, unlike the new theaters with seats that recline
- No dogs are allowed
The Oriental is one of a kind movie theater. The theater glows with its ancient décor and gives customers a sense of belonging while watching their favorite new or old movies. The theater is kid-friendly, and the current Covid measures give customers a level of confidence to visit the place.
The Oriental has three screens, each with a CaptView, which aids hard-of-hearing people. The theater also has assistive wireless audio receivers for guests with visual or hearing impairments. The main auditorium has a 4k digital projection and an 8-channel Dolby digital sound and vision 3D, maintaining audio and video quality.
The Oriental has a good atmosphere, and its historical history gives customers a sense of community. Moreover, the area surrounding the theater offers customers a sense of attraction to keep their energy and mood revived, especially if you are planning to tag your specific friends along for a private watch party.
The 21st Street Warren
- The theater is kept nice and clean
- It has adequate seats that have a clear view of the screen
- Parking is available nearby
- Their café has a limited and pricey menu
- Prices are slightly higher than other theaters
Being the only IMAX theater in Wichita, the 21st Street warren is a comfortable, spacious theater. The theater is beautifully decorated and has high-quality furnishing, audio, and video quality. The place is designed to look like the old times’ theater, and their ushers are uniformed to align with the decoration.
The 21st Street Warren has one of the best and most polite staff. Moreover, their seats are comfortable enough, and even kids need not strain to see the 3D screens. The foods served are delicious and in plenty to keep viewers engaged throughout.
The Admiral Twin Drive-In
- Perfect theater for kids, especially in terms of the movies played
- It offers low prices for double movies
- The theater is spacious enough to ensure people have flexibility
- The weather, at times, can be a hindrance
- Their concussion menu is limited
The Admiral Twin drive-in is an excellent place to visit as a family, provided you carry along with some chairs and possibly blankets. Located in Tulsa, the Admiral twin drive-in is a fantastic place to catch a movie, and their discounted prices of paying for one film but watching two movies attract many.
The admiral uses a Meyer Sound LEOPARD system with loudspeakers that ensure all the guests clearly get quality audio while enjoying their films. Films are displayed on a wide 3D screen, and guests can either stay inside their car or outside. Pets are allowed in the theater. The staff is reliable and helpful, and their concession prices are reasonably priced.
Depending on where you grab a space, the video quality may not be the best for long ranges. The drive-in has all the reasons to meet an excellent private watch party for even a large group as it is spacious. Moreover, it allows people to bring their food. Amazing, right?
A private watch party may be a great way to keep your family and friends together, but planning one takes real thought. Whether you’re throwing a casual get-together with a few close friends or an elaborate party for hundreds of people, planning a private watch party doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. Use this ultimate guide of tips and tricks to put your best watch party forward. Planning for a private watch party just got a whole lot easier.