A movie night is one of the highest-return fundraisers a school P&C or P&F committee can run. Low overhead, broad appeal across all year groups, and families actively enjoy coming. Most Perth schools raise $800 to $2,000 profit from a single evening. Here is the full playbook.
Fundraiser profit calculator
How much will your school movie night raise?
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Tickets sold 150 30 500 Ticket price $ 12 $5 $25 Screen size 5m ($600) popular 3m ($280) 8m ($1,100) Extra revenue sources (tick all that apply) Snack and drink sales (popcorn, chips, hot dogs) +$ Sausage sizzle before the film +$ Raffle or prize draw +$ Premium bean bag section (+$5 per person, half the crowd) +$0 Distance from Kwinana Within 20km (free delivery) 20 to 30km (approx $60) 30 to 40km (approx $100) 40 to 55km (approx $140) Estimated profit $0 Revenue: $0 Costs: $0 Film licence not included in costs. Get a confirmed equipment quote.
The five-step planning checklist
01 Book the date, venue and cinema equipment
Book 6 to 8 weeks out. Your school oval is ideal for the 5m screen. Check your Department of Education WA event requirements and reserve the equipment with Perth Pop-Up Movies as early as possible for peak dates.
02 Get your film licence
A public performance licence is legally required for any school screening. Get one from Roadshow PPL or Amalgamated Movies. Licences typically cost $100 to $300 depending on the film. Check classification at Australian Classification. Perth school favourites: Moana, Encanto, The Lego Movie, Matilda, Ratatouille.
03 Set ticket prices and promote
$10 to $15 per person is the Perth sweet spot. A premium bean bag zone at $5 to $8 extra adds revenue and makes for great photos. Use the school app, Facebook group and P&C newsletter. Set up online ticket sales with TryBooking to make collection easier on the night.
04 Plan the food and drink
Popcorn, hot chocolate and soft drink bags are easy to manage. A sausage sizzle in the 45 minutes before the film is consistently the single best revenue earner. Prepacked lolly bags sold at the gate add $2 to $3 per head. See P&F WA for food safety requirements at school events.
05 Run the night
Perth Pop-Up Movies handles full setup and management. Plan for 7:30pm doors for winter events, 8:00pm in summer. Have a wet weather plan ready (reschedule by 48 hours is the standard). Send a reminder to ticket holders 48 hours before with a dress warmly reminder. Rugs encouraged.
Planning timeline
Time before event What to do 8 weeks out Book cinema equipment and confirm oval availability with school admin 6 weeks out Choose the film, apply for public performance licence, set up TryBooking 4 weeks out Open ticket sales, promote via newsletter, Facebook and school app 2 weeks out Confirm food rosters, order popcorn and drink supplies, assign volunteer roles 48 hours out Send ticket holder reminder, confirm weather forecast via BOM Perth Night of the event Perth Pop-Up Movies arrives 90 minutes before screening for setup. You handle gates and food. We run the film.
Where we service for school events
Perth Pop-Up Movies runs school events across the full metro area. Recent school bookings have included events in Applecross, Cottesloe, Kwinana and across the southern and northern suburbs. See the Perth suburb guide for travel costs by area.
Book your school movie night.
Tell us your school name, expected attendance and preferred date. We will confirm availability and send a full quote.
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