How to DIY Your Own Outdoor Movie Theater

There’s nothing quite like watching a movie on a big screen, but it’s a shame to squander those glorious summer evenings hanging out indoors. Why not enjoy the best of both worlds by creating your own cinema experience in the comfort and privacy of your backyard, if you have one.

Building your own outdoor movie theater is far easier than it sounds, and can be easily scaled to suit your budget—from a simple projector/sheet combo to a full-fledged theater, with a big outdoor screen and speakers to really up the video and audio quality.

Here’s a look at what you’ll need for your outdoor theater, along with some tips on how to make everything work together.

A projector

Though it’s possible to set up a TV outside for the occasional movie night, it’s not going to have the “wow” factor of a big-screen projection system. Modern home-theater projectors offer excellent picture quality, and usually a far brighter image than you’d expect—not bright enough to watch outside during the day, mind you, but ample for a movie night under the stars.

Most of the projector recommendations from our guide to the best budget projector for a home theater will also work for occasional outdoor use. They’re small and light enough to carry outside and set on a small table, yet they put out enough light to produce a large image. Consider our top pick, the BenQ HT2060, which has good light output, wonderfully accurate color, and a respectably robust built-in speaker.

However, with the HT2060 you’ll need at least 10 feet of space between the projector and the screen to create a 100-inch image. If your backyard is shaped or sized in a way that this won’t work, the BenQ HT2150ST uses a short-throw lens that lets you place it as close as 4.9 feet away from your screen to create a 100-inch image.

If you plan to use the projector outdoors on a more regular basis, you may want one that’s more rugged and portable, with a built-in battery that eliminates the need to run a power cord. The Nebula Mars 3 is our favorite outdoor projector because it's the brightest battery-powered model we’ve tested to date. Its built-in speaker system works well enough to fill a larger area with clear and balanced sound, and features like an IPX3 weatherproof rating, drop resistance, and a built-in LED lantern make it ideal for outdoor use.

The drawback to any battery-powered portable projector is that it can’t get as bright as a good, traditional home-theater projector, so you can’t go super-big in screen size. With the Mars 3, a 150-inch screen is probably the maximum size you’d want to use.

There are less expensive projectors on the market that will do for the occasional outdoor movie night, but understand that they may not be as bright or they may just have worse image quality than our picks—so they aren’t going to look as good when showing movies on a large screen.

A projector screen (or not)

The simplest way to watch an outdoor movie is, of course, to just shine the projected image on a wall of your house, but we don’t recommend this approach. There’s a reason why movie screens are so smooth. You’ll be able to see the texture and surface of the “screen” material no matter how bright the projector is. So if you’ve got wood shingles, you’ll see those shingles all colorfully lit by your movie. The same is true with any other surface. The film’s colors will also shift with those of the wall. This option is certainly simple (and free), but you can do better.

A big white sheet is the most affordable solution that can still give you a decent image. The texture issue mentioned above can still be a concern, but it’s less so if you keep the sheet wrinkle free. Even a slight breeze will cause your screen to move, though, so for the best, least-distracting experience, you’ll want to pull the material as taut as possible when attaching it to a wall or homemade frame. We got surprisingly good performance from these Target sheets when we tested them for our guide to outdoor movie screens.

If you want the best image out of whatever projector you choose, you should get an actual outdoor screen. We like the Elite Screens Yard Master Plus and Yard Master 2. Both come with a sturdy frame and ground stakes so they won’t blow over if your backyard gets a little windy. The height-adjustable Yard Master Plus is available in sizes ranging from 100 to 200 inches (in the 16:9 shape), while the Yard Master 2 comes at a fixed height and its screen size maxes out at 135 inches.

If you want an even faster screen setup and don’t mind a bit of fan noise, the Gemmy Airblown Inflatable Deluxe screen inflates quickly and offers solid performance.

A media player

What are you going to watch? Or, more importantly, how are you going to watch it? Long gone are the days when you needed to bring a DVD or Blu-ray player out to the yard along with the projector. Some projectors like the Nebula Mars 3 have built-in streaming platforms so you don’t need to connect an external source, but not every projector is equipped with these features.

A streaming stick, such as the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, connects directly to the HDMI input on the projector, draws power from the projector’s USB connection, and uses your home’s Wi-Fi to stream movies from the ol’ interwebs. Just make sure your projector has a powered USB port that supplies at least 1 amp of output. Older projectors might have the USB port but may not be able to provide enough power. In that case, you’ll need to supply external power to the streaming stick.

If you don’t want to get a streaming stick, many laptops have the ability to output a video signal via HDMI, or through an HDMI adapter. You could run an HDMI cable from the computer to the projector, use a wireless HDMI transmitter, or explore other options for wireless connection.

If the projector has USB-C or USB-A inputs, you may be able to attach a smartphone or thumb drive to play videos.

A better speaker

You probably want to be able to hear your movie, too. Technically, you can use the projector’s built-in speaker. As we mentioned above, the one built into the Nebula Mars 3 has solid dynamic ability. If we’re talking about a few people seated closer to the projector, that internal speaker might be fine. But if you’ve got a big yard or any kind of background noise (quiet, kids!), it could be hard to hear. Besides, if you’ve got a big screen, wouldn’t it be great to have big sound to go with it?

The easiest way to add a better speaker is to use the projector’s analog audio output, which lets you connect any speaker that has an analog input. Many Bluetooth speakers have this, as do most soundbars and, really, just about any speaker system. You’ll need an audio cable to connect the two, either a 3.5-mm–to–3.5-mm stereo cable or a 3.5-mm–to–RCA cable.

If you want (or need) to go wireless instead, you’ll have to use Bluetooth. A growing number of projectors are adding a built-in Bluetooth connection to easily send the audio to a higher-quality Bluetooth speaker. However, this approach may create a noticeable lip-sync issue, wherein you see something happen on screen and hear it through the speaker an instant later. This is a common Bluetooth issue, but for an outdoor movie night it’s probably not a dealbreaker.

You also can connect a Bluetooth speaker to a streaming stick, if you’re using one. With a Roku, you can make this connection via the Roku mobile app on your phone. It’s a little convoluted, so stick with me (pun intended): You connect the Roku app to your Roku stick, which is easy as long as you’re on the same Wi-Fi network. You then connect the Bluetooth speaker to your phone or tablet. The audio from the streaming content will go through your phone to the Bluetooth speaker.

If you’re not using a Roku—or another source device that has Bluetooth, like a laptop—another wireless option is a Bluetooth transmitter. These devices connect to the audio output of the projector or source and send the audio wirelessly to your Bluetooth speaker, just like if the source had built-in Bluetooth.

Some helpful accessories

The items above are the core components you’ll need for your outdoor cinema extravaganza. Depending on your house, yard, and so on, you might require a few other things to get everything up and running.

Extension cords may be vital to your endeavor, depending on your gear. Some cords have multiple outlets at the end, letting you run just one cable while still being able to plug in numerous devices. You could also get a power strip.

If you’re trying to stream video outdoors and your Wi-Fi signal isn’t strong or stable enough, your home’s Wi-Fi network may need a little help. Before you buy an extender or a new router, check to see whether your home network is as fast as possible.

It’s the small details that make a backyard movie night memorable. Our favorite camping chairs or a picnic blanket are more portable (and comfortable) alternatives to dragging chairs outside. In addition, a cooler for refreshments and a blanket for those rare nights that get a little chilly are also great to have on hand.

And, of course, the outdoors is full of biting and stinging things. Don’t let them ruin your good times. From sprays to fans, we have several picks for the best bug repellants and mosquito-control gear.