If you’ve ever wanted a fun and unique cinematic experience, Mov’in Bed is the outdoor cinema for you. With 150 queen-sized blow-up air beds, Mov’in Bed appears to be an exclusive luxurious experience perfect for a romantic date with your partner, or just chilling with your bestie. Already a cinematic staple for both Sydney and Brisbane, Mov’in Bed is surprisingly in Melbourne for the first time in 2020. The concept is simple but oh so clever, and one must wonder why it took so long for Mov’in Bed to come down to Melbourne.
Located on the sandy shores of St Kilda Beach, Mov’in Bed has a decent selection of films, with many being shown several times, which is great if there is one movie that you particularly want to see, but the date clashes with your already existing plans. The Mov’in Bed programming is purposefully scheduled to tackle this, so you have essentially a second chance and the opportunity to see the film you want.
Upon arrival (gates open at 5), you’re greeted by the friendly staff and can chill in Movi’in Bed’s Beach Club area near the bar. Sometimes there’s even DJ available playing music, and there are bean bags and outdoor lounge chairs readily available so you can relax and enjoy a drink on the sand under the summer sun. As the cinema bed area isn’t open until 7pm, you can grab a drink from the bar while you wait or order from the Hollywood Diner where the food is all cheekily titled after famous stars, such as the ‘De Niro’ pizza and the ‘James Dean’ burger. When ordering food, it felt mischievous to be ordering meals by saying people’s names, like you were ordering the stars to come to you.
Once the bed area opens, it’s first in best dressed as there are no allocated beds, which is nice as you can pick and choose the perfect spot ideal for you. The cinema screen is very large however, so there’s no real bad spot upon the sand.
If you waited to access your beach bed, you can get your meals delivered to you, provided you give the staff the correct bed number. If you give the wrong bed number, naturally someone else will be relishing in eating your food, so make sure you give the staff the right information. Once the food is delivered, you can have dinner in bed while you wait or even during your movie, depending on when you request your food to be delivered. There’s also bottomless popcorn if you’re keen, provided you purchase a bucket for yourself, you can go back and fill it up as many times as you like with choices of both sweet and salty popcorn at your disposal.
While I was fortunate enough to attend Mov’in Bed on a warm night, if the nights are a tad bit colder, the beds to come with comfy Ecosa pillows and a blanket big enough for you to share with your bed buddy. I did find the blow-up beds rather awkward to sit and lie in, found myself sinking and had to use my pillow to prompt me up so I could see the screen properly, but once you’re settled, you’re in for a comfy and enjoyable experience. I also believe that there could be a bigger side table for each bed, so that it would be easier to put your drinks down, as the bed (being a blow-up bed) isn’t stable enough to let you rest your drink if you have more than one.
Mov’in Bed, unlike other outdoor cinemas is small and intimate, but in a good way. And while you can attend on a cheaper ticket to just put a picnic rug on the sand, I don’t understand why anyone would want to have a picnic rug when the whole experience is about parking yourself on a beach bed on the St Kilda Beach sand, while enjoying a good flick. The beds are ideal for 2 people at most, even though you can grab tickets to have 3 on the same bed, I would still recommend having 2 people per bed, as this would be the most comfortable experience where you can lie around without fear of nudging your bed mate uncomfortably.
When waiting for your film to start and for it to get dark enough for the contents on the screen to be visible, mother nature (if you’re lucky) provides a beautiful sunset by the sea while you’re waiting, which is an experience unrivalled by any other outdoor cinema that I have witnessed. I only wish that their season was longer and hope that next time they’ll have a longer program schedule.
Mov’in Bed is currently located at St Kilda Beach, Pier Road in front of the Catani Gardens and will be playing films in Melbourne until February 23. I highly recommend giving the experience a go before they magically disappear. With some bad luck regarding smoke-haze and rain (like any other outdoor cinema during this season due to the bushfires), I only hope that Mov’in Bed will be satisfied with their debut Melbourne run and return to our city during the next outdoor cinema season.
For more information on movie selections, the Hollywood Diner menu or to book tickets, visit: https://movinbed.com
Photography by Greg Philippon.
