Great Holiday Gifts for Movie Lovers This Year
It’s been a rough year, and especially so for cinephiles with theaters across the world shuttered and movie releases delayed almost indefinitely. With Christmas fast approaching, why not give the movie-lover in your life one of these great gifts that will hopefully make them forget the fact they haven’t seen a movie on the big screen in nearly a year.
A Popcorn Maker
Perhaps the most important part of recreating the cinema experience on the comfort of your own sofa is the popcorn. Let’s face it, when else do you snack on popcorn? Probably never.
So help your friend or loved one get into the movie spirit with their very own popcorn maker! There are a lot of different options on the market, many with silly gimmicks like the popcorn maker lid becoming the bowl to eat out of, but simplicity is really the best bet when it comes to choosing a good popcorn maker. Your standard upright hot-air popper is perfect and with prices under $30, you can easily couple it with other popcorn snacking add-ons like popcorn buckets you’d get at the movies.
Of course, if you really want to give them the movie theater popcorn experience, then you’re going to want a vintage popcorn machine where they can watch the popcorn pop in bulk! This is a must-have for anyone that’s built their own home theater or has a “Man/Woman Cave” dedicated to movies and entertainment. It even includes a storage cabinet for your popcorn supplies, an interior light to see all the popcorn popping action and a built-in stirring arm.
This might be overkill for a single movie-goer, but if you don’t mind dropping over $100 on a gift and they don’t mind devoting the space to this great novelty, it can be a very memorable and beloved gift.
Movie-Themed Games
If the person you’re shopping for loves games as well as movies, then a movie-themed game would be a great option! One such game that they’re sure to love is Cinephile: A Card Game.
This is a simple game with hours of fun, provided you’re up to snuff on your movie knowledge. The cards offer a variety of play options to test your expertise in film, including the ability to make up your own games. It makes for a great party game and can of course be paired perfectly with movie night.
There are also countless other movie trivia card and board games. You can’t go wrong with the classic Trivial Pursuit, for example, and they even offer many version specific to certain movies and genres.
And for Disney fans, the new board game Villainous is a must. This strategy game features several beloved Disney villains such as Jafar, Ursula and Captain Hook. Unlike a lot of games based around licensed properties, this isn’t just some IP slapped on a dull, crappy game. The game itself is a lot of fun and perfect for strategy game enthusiasts. It even won TOTY’s 2019 ‘Game of the Year’ award.
The Villainous series of games also includes a Marvel version for MCU fans.
Throw Blankets
One of the benefits of watching movies at home instead of at the theater is you have the ability to be much more comfy. There’s nothing like sprawling out on the couch with your snacks nearby as you take in the latest trash out on Netflix. (Looking at you, Adam Sandler!)
Whatever your streaming service of choice, comfort is key and with winter approaching everyone needs a good throw blanket.
You could go the non-Christmasy route with a nice horror movie throw, or go all-in on Christmas Story blanket.
There are a lot of options to choose from, so pick a design that fits the recipients taste in movies. And it’s totally okay to get them more than one! The best part about a throw, other than keeping you nice and warm, is that it’s not a snuggie.
Top-of-the-Line Recliner
Now for a person you really like, this is a gift that they’ll appreciate for the rest of their movie-viewing life. It’s definitely on the pricey side, so I doubt you’ll want to get one for everyone on your Christmas list this year unless you’re Jordan Belfort (and even then, wouldn’t you rather buy cocaine?)
Movie-lovers know that your typical sofa and recliners just don’t cut it. They’re not optimized for the movie viewing experience, and this is something that some theaters are starting to get right too by introducing reclining seats. Not only do the seats recline, but they’re wide enough to accommodate shifting around or “pretzeling up” if that’s your thing. Or maybe you just like to keep your bag of candy next to you. We won’t judge.
There are many options to choose from when it comes to a great recliner and it really depends on personal tastes. While some people like the fluffy comfort of poofy fabric recliners, others like the sleek leather ones (which are also water resistant for when you spill your soda). Some come with massagers, which are a nice bonus, and of course cupholders are a must! Extra storage compartments are great to have as well.
But if you don’t feel like shelling out hundreds of dollars for the movie-lover in your life, don’t fret. A lot of typical sofas and recliners can be greatly approved with a simple cupholder accessory. These can make their current seating arrangements much more useful without breaking your bank. But be careful since they don’t work well on every seat.
Movie Posters
Can you really be a movie buff without the posters of your favorite films? While most people decorate with pictures of flowers, scenery and loved ones, a movie fan will gladly (and somewhat snobbishly) hang their pop culture tastes on their walls.
You can get into some tricky territory here depending on how much of a “purest” your potential recipient is. Some people want authentic movie posters used in theaters, which of course are more rare and often need some certificate of authenticity to prove their journey. And if they’re signed by cast and crew, even better!
But you don’t have to scourer eBay for rare and priceless memorabilia. Simple recreations and reprints are perfectly fine for most. And they’re easy on your wallet too, with most being around $10 to $15. At that price, you can even afford to frame it too.
Aside from movie posters from specific movies, you can also look at posters about movies themselves. This scratch-off movie poster is great and serves as a “to-watch” list as well.
Movie Props
These are fun novelty gifts that honestly aren’t very useful but sure are fun to own. Like with posters, you can go for the authentic route, finding props that were actually used in a movie’s production, but these will be rare and expensive. Fortunately there are lots of recreations and toys that will get the job done at a price that says “We’re acquaintances”.
Even though your gift recipient might be an adult, that doesn’t mean you can’t find them something great in the toy section. Most major film franchises put out a ton of toys, including full-size (or at least child-size) props. You can find lots of toys or more precise recreations of iconic movie props, such as Thor’s hammer or Aladdin’s Lamp.
If your recipient is a kid, well they’ll probably play with the thing for years to come. Most adult movie fans will keep it around as a decorative novelty, though. Still, a few might run around pretending to be a Thunder God or something.
An 82″ Television
For many movie fans, nothing beats the big screen, but that’s particulary true when their own screen is a fairly small one anyway. The home viewing experience gets much, much better when you have a good television, and size is everything.
While you could drop $1.2 million for a 370-inch TV, typical consumer models tap out around 80-inches. Now while it’s still quite a bit under a million dollars, you’re looking at a hefty price tag such as a Samsung 4K 82″ TV coming in around $1,600. You don’t have to go the full 82-inches and could maybe cut it down a bit to save a few bucks, but at that price you might as well go all-out and get the full experience.
You definitely don’t want to give them anything under 40-inches, though. At that size, you might as well be watching on your laptop. When your face is 4 inches from the screen, it almost feels like IMAX! But televisions are generally positioned several feet away, which quickly loses their sense of scale. So a big screen is a must for a good at-home movie-watching experience.
Alternatively, you could always get a digital projector for usually under $200, but these come with their own set of complications. While you don’t have to worry about finding space for a giant TV screen, you will need to have a large blank wall or place for a screen to come down. It’s also much more of a hassle to setup and install. While you could certainly set the projector on your end table, they tend to work better mounted on the ceiling, and if you’ve got a projection screen, you’ll need to mount that somewhere too. Then there’s adjusting the alignment and focus….it can be a lot of work and near-impossible for someone who isn’t handy.
Some people find digital projectors more complicated to use too. So while a digital projector can be a great gift for a movie-lover, you’ll want to be sure they can handle it and are ready for the change. It’ll also need its own audio system too, since unlike TVs, they don’t come with speakers. (Of course, movie fanatics probably want an upgrade from their television speakers anyway, so you’ll be on the hook for a sound system either way.)
A Private Movie Theater Rental
To cope with the on-going pandemic, some movie theaters are offering up entire theaters for rent to small groups. This is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for movie-lovers to have their ideal movie-going experience with all the perks of the theater without the downside of noisy strangers smacking away on Twizzlers next to you.
Theater chains like AMC and Alamo Drafthouse are offering their own private rental options. AMC’s starts at $99 for classic films and $150 for screening new releases. Alamo Drafthouse has a similar pricing model at $150 for a private theater rental.
Some local theaters are offering similar arrangements, and sometimes cheaper. So be sure to check with them first if this is something you’re considering. In most cases, food and drinks aren’t included in the theater rental so be sure to factor in those added costs.
The best part about this gift is you’ll hopefully be one of the guests as well, so you can share in the experience. Just remember to stay safe!
