How to Craft the Perfect Movie Date Night (Complete with Popcorn)

With quarantine orders still affecting most of the country, couples might be struggling to get creative when it comes to date night.

The ideal date night option has always been the “dinner and a movie” scenario. This allows couples to chat over a delicious meal and then indulge in each other’s company while watching a great film.

Since most movie theaters will be closed for the foreseeable future, creating the perfect movie date at home might be the best way to celebrate your partner in quarantine.

After all, date nights are still vital in quarantine. It might seem counterintuitive since you’re spending so much time with your partner under “shelter in place” orders, but it’s actually more important than ever. When we’re around our partners so much, we get locked into a routine. It’s even harder if you have kids to take care of, leaving little “alone time” to spend with each other. When all is said and done, it’s easy to take each other for granted during a time like this.

A date night is a perfect way to shake up your routine and spend quality time with each other. Date nights let your partner know that you’re willing to go the extra mile for them, even if it’s something simple like trading back massages while watching your favorite movie. The electronics sector is one of the big six applications for the specialty gas market and there’s no doubt that streamable content is king right now.

Just like nearly 70% of business partnerships fail, more than half of marriages end in divorce. A recent study highlighted in Business Insider notes that couples who indulge in a date night once per month are 14% more likely to stay together than couples who both go out too much or not at all.

When you’re ready to start planning your next date night, here’s the perfect formula to make it a night to remember:

Choose a movie you’ll both love

It’s important to choose a movie that you’ll both enjoy, otherwise, the “quality time” aspect of the evening will be missing. After all, you want this to be a pleasurable experience for both of you! Regardless, you have to choose the movie beforehand.

Choosing a movie with your partner seems like a great idea until you spend an hour scrolling through the many options. Between all the streaming apps out there, you have hundreds of thousands of hours at your fingertips. Instead of wasting time picking a movie together, choose three options that you think you’ll both love.

This allows your partner to have a say in the movie without inundating yourselves with blockbuster options.

You can lay these options out to your partner or you could turn this into a fun game. Have your partner represent one movie while you represent the other and try to see who wins in a game of cards or video games. You can also draw the names of the movies out of a hat or pit the movies against each other to see which is stronger in terms of plot, actors, etc. Incorporating fun challenges to pick a movie is great if you’re two indecisive people when it comes to choosing what to watch.

Can’t find a movie? Consider these options

Streaming apps have invested quite a bit of money into showcasing the best movies and television shows during quarantine (ever heard of Tiger King?). Starting a new show might be a great option for some couples but a classic movie night is meant to thrive for one self-contained evening, making movies a great choice.

Here are some of the most popular rom-com options for couples that you should consider:

• Isn’t It Romantic? — If you’re not a big fan of rom-coms, this meta rom-com film is the perfect compromise. Starring Rebel Wilson, the down-on-her-luck career woman is a love cynic. After hitting her head in a mugging, she wakes up in an alternate reality where she’s the star of her own rom-com. It also stars Adam Devine and Liam Hemsworth in goofily comedic roles.
• Crazy Stupid Love — Considered a blockbuster in 2011, the film follows a star-studded cast consisting of Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Emma Stone, and Julianne Moore. It centers on the relationship between Gosling and Carell’s characters as Gosling introduces the now 40-year-old and single Carell to the modern dating world. Nothing will help you appreciate each other more than watching the throes of dating in this flick.
• The Big Sick — This film stars couple Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan working through the complexities illness and the stressors of being in a biracial relationship. At the end of the film, it’s realized that the perfect relationship doesn’t exist, but loyalty and trust are the glue in keeping a partnership strong.

Or you could always put on a superhero movie since everyone loves a little action. Just keep in mind some highly-desired blockbuster movies might have some new release dates because of the pandemic. 

When you start watching the movie, remember that it’s okay to pause it and chat with each other. That’s one of the best parts of watching a movie at home instead of in the theater. Joke about the cracks in a car’s windshield after an action scene or talk about how unrealistic these rom-coms can be. Half the fun is chatting about the movie with your partner so don’t be afraid to use that pause button.

Set the stage

If you’ve already been watching movies a lot during quarantine, you’re not alone. Netflix alone has reported a 61% rise in viewership since quarantine began.

That’s why it’s important to make a distinction between simply watching a movie together and indulging in a date night. After all, the date night should be more about spending time together than watching a great flick. As such, setting the stage — or in this case, the living room — is vital to show that you went the extra step to make it special.

This could be as simple as laying down a cozy blanket and bringing out a charcuterie board. If you want to make it extra special, try lighting some candles, stringing some fairy lights around the room, and ordering take-out from your favorite restaurant. Little things like this can show your partner that you want to make them feel appreciated.

Don’t forget the snacks

The snacks are one of the most important parts of the movie-watching experience. You can go classic with a little microwave popcorn or you can make it extra special by popping it in a buttery pan with plenty of unique seasonings (garlic, anyone?). Order ice cream for takeout or be sure to pick up chocolate the next time you go to the store. The mix between sweet and salty is the ideal combination for watching a great film. For a special touch, you can buy your partner’s favorite snacks to show that you put more than a little thought into your movie night.

Movie nights are one of the most achievable events during quarantine. The next time you want to show your partner that you care, try out these ideas to make your next date night all the more special.