Every P&C committee eventually faces the same problem: the sausage sizzle has been done to death, trivia nights need a venue, and raffles take weeks to organise. A movie night fundraiser solves all of that. It’s one evening, one ticket price, and Perth Pop-Up Movies handles everything on the equipment side.
How a school movie night fundraiser works
The school hires the cinema setup, sells tickets to families, and keeps the difference. It’s straightforward. A typical model looks something like this:
Hire cost for a 5m community screening: $600. Ticket price: $10 per person. Attendance: 150 people. Gross income: $1,500. Profit after hire: $900.
Run it on a school oval with 200 attendees at $12 a ticket and you’re looking at $1,800 net. Add a gold coin donation for popcorn, a sausage sizzle, or a snack van and the numbers keep climbing. Some P&C committees are clearing $2,000–$3,000 from a single evening.
Why it works better than most fundraisers
Families actually want to come. That sounds obvious but it’s the thing most fundraisers get wrong — they ask people to buy something they don’t really want (chocolate, raffle tickets, lamingtons) rather than experience something they’d genuinely enjoy. A movie night under the stars on the school oval is a real event. Parents buy tickets for themselves, not just to be helpful.
It’s also easy to promote. One Facebook post with a good photo of a big screen setup gets shared by parents across the school community. It sells itself.
What Perth Pop-Up Movies provides
Everything. Screen, projector, professional sound system, full setup and pack-down on the night. For larger events the 8m screen handles 300+ people and creates a proper cinema atmosphere on any oval or large outdoor space.
Generator hire is available if your venue doesn’t have easy power access ($300 for 8m setups). bean bags can be hired at $11 each if you want seating sorted as well.
Public performance licensing
Because it’s a ticketed public event, schools need a public performance licence for the film. This is straightforward to obtain through Roadshow licensing — most popular family films are available. Factor in roughly $100–$200 for licensing depending on the title, and you’re still well ahead on the night.
When to run it
March through May is the ideal window in Perth — comfortable evening temperatures, early enough sunsets to start movies around 7pm, and well clear of the wet winter months. End-of-term events in Term 1 and Term 2 work particularly well. Schools in Rockingham, Joondalup, Fremantle, Baldivis, Armadale, and across Perth run these events every year.
The earlier you book, the more date flexibility you have. Weekends fill up quickly through April and May.
Ready to plan your school movie night?
Perth Pop-Up Movies works with schools, P&C and P&F committees, and community groups across Perth. Community screen hire starts from $600, with free delivery within 20km of Kwinana.
Call Alex on 0433 951 928 or get in touch at perthpopupmovies.com.au to talk through the details for your event.
Get a free quote from Perth Pop-Up Movies — screens from $280 with free delivery within 20km of Kwinana.