Are you tired of looking for the best Family Movie Night ideas for 2023? Look no further! We’ve got you! 

Family movie nights are fun, but organizing them can get a little stressful sometimes. Especially if you’re just starting out (or have done so many you’re running out of movie choices), having a theme for your movie night can be the perfect solution to any difficult decisions that need to be made. You can even theme your snacks and activities to match! 

Some months, we like to have multiple movie nights in the same theme, so we can really explore it. Other times, we pick a theme with a few movie picks, and play a little game to determine which movie it’s going to be. It’s a fun way to get everyone involved in the decision making. 

But how do you settle on a theme? Some are obvious, like a Disney or Marvel Family Movie Night, but there are a lot of other fun options out there. 

Here are the best Family Movie Night Ideas for 2023! 

What We Missed Last Year

Even if you’re on top of new movie releases, there’s probably a few that you were intending to watch but ended up missing or just simply forgot. So why not have a Family Movie Night themed around those movies you weren’t able to get to last year? 

Which of these 2022 movies did you miss and are you adding to your “What We Missed Last Year’ Family Movie Night?

• Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
• Hocus Pocus 2
• DC League of Super-Pets
• Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
• Sneakerella
• Better Nate Than Ever
• The Sea Beast
• Enola Holmes 2
• Turning Red
• Secret Headquarters
• Thor: Love and Thunder
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Avatar: The Way of Water

Throwback Movies

Pick a decade, look up a movie from every year, and take your pick! Let’s say we go with a ‘90s theme for Throwback Movies. Here’s a list of potential Family Movie Night ideas coming from the ‘90s:

• 1990: Edward Scissorhands
• 1991: Hook
• 1992: A League of Their Own
• 1993: Free Willy
• 1994: Black Beauty
• 1995: Jumanji
• 1996: Space Jam
• 1997: Anastasia
• 1998: The Parent Trap
• 1999: The Mummy

Have someone pick a number, put all the options into a hat or pick some other fun way to randomly select which movie you’re going to watch, and be surprised! Or dedicate your next few movie nights to watching movies from that decade. There are some gems in there you’ve probably forgotten about! 

And don’t forget to grab snacks that were popular during that decade to really complete the theme! 

Nostalgia (childhood movies)

What better way to connect with your kids than sharing something from your own childhood? Those movies that you LOVED as a child might be the perfect way to do just that! Remember how amazing The Little Mermaid was to ‘80s kids? Or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to ‘60s and ‘70s kids?

What movies you pick for this theme will of course depend on your own childhood, but here are a few classics to add to your nostalgia Family Movie Night ideas list:

• Mary Poppins (1964)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
• ET (1982)
• Sound of Music (1965)
• Wizard of Oz (1939)
• Jungle Book (1967)
• My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
• Star Wars (1977) 
• Peter Pan (1953)
• Home Alone (1990)

Grab your favorite childhood snacks, play a game you used to love as a kid or tell your kids a story about your childhood to really dive into this theme! 

Movie Roulette

Throw a bunch of unexpected movie picks in a hat and pick one! You can reuse this theme time and time again until the hat (or bucket or whatever you use) is empty. Just don’t tell anybody what movies you included and it’ll be a big surprise for everybody!

I’ve added a fun mix of recognizable and lesser-known movies to add to your Family Movie Night ideas list below: 

• Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014)
• Babe (1995)
• Finding ‘Ohana (2021)
• Heart and Souls (1993)
• Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007)
• School of Rock (2003)
• The NeverEnding Story (1984)
• Treasure Planet (2002)
• Spy Kids (2001)

Get Creative!

These are just a few Movie Night theme suggestions, you can get as creative as you’d like with these! But don’t worry if you need a bit more help with your themes. The Movie Night Journal has even more 2023 Family Movie Night ideas and general movie night suggestions to get you through the year! You can grab yours here.