Cinespia:  Hollywood’s modern classic way to see an outdoor movie

For more than 17 years, LA’s premier outdoor movie night gets it right and keeps getting better

It’s hard to invent a new thing in Hollywood, and if you do, plan on it being imitated, but so far, no outdoor movie experience touches Cinespia. More than 17 years ago I heard about this new movie event happening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It was a fundraiser for the restoration of Rudolph Valentino’s mausoleum, which had fallen into disrepair. A non-profit group was asking for donations and offering a free movie screened on the mausoleum wall, with seating on the cemetery lawn. Creepy, I thought at first, but when my friends and I showed up, and hundreds of people were milling about the gates, picnic baskets in hand, we knew we stumbled onto a true Hollywood original.

Since that first screening in 2002, Cinespia’s outdoor movies have become that rare quintessentially Hollywood experience, where you gather with other like-minded film aficionados who love a great film and a great time. When the crowd yells out at the screen, its from a place of love, respect and pure enjoyment.

So among some of the silver screen’s dearly departed, you can watch your favorite classics, cult favorites and sleeper films that made an indelible impression on you but you though no one else appreciated in the same way you did, from Breakfast at Tiffany’s to Point Break to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It’s no longer a best-kept secret, as now thousands of people attend screenings, bringing along their gourmet picnics, flickering faux votives and wine glasses for elegant al fresco dining before the show, as they bob their heads to tunes spun by some of LA’s hottest DJs.

As with all good things that catch on, soon the demand outpaced the capacity of the venue, so smartly Cinespia found other venues where they could expand. In addition to their events at Hollywood Forever, Cinespia stages film screenings at historic movie palaces and pop-up venues around Southern California, and often works in partnership with major film organization – like Amazon Studios and Prime Video – and festivals.

Cinespia events have also become famous for their elaborate photobooths, where patrons can step inside an iconic scene of their favorite films and live out their fantasies as a character, leaning against the hood of Thelma & Louise’s convertible, jumping on the bed of Josh’s bedroom in Big, or dodging bullets in a Matrix-inspired room of green neon light sticks.

For tourists or natives, Cinespia is a must-do in LA. No matter if you’ve seen your favorite movie a hundred times, you’ve never seen it like Cinespia does it.