Backyard Cinema: Projectors, Screens & Sound for Outdoor Movie Nights
Outdoor projectors, screens and speakers compared in plain English, plus how to set up a backyard movie night that still looks good after the sun goes down.
A backyard movie night is one of the few upgrades that gets used by the whole household and the whole neighborhood. It is also easy to get wrong: the projector that looks great in a dark living room can wash out completely on a patio with a porch light on.
Three things decide how it goes: how bright the projector is, how big and bright the screen is, and whether the sound carries across the lawn. Our guides start with those, then sort the gear by budget, and our free calculator turns your throw distance into a screen size so nothing gets bought blind.
Best backyard cinema — top picks
Backyard Cinema
Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers
Waterproof portable speakers for movie nights, pool days and parties, from budget loud-for-the-money to Wi-Fi hi-fi, with honest trade-offs.
Top picks · 4 min read
Backyard Cinema
Best Outdoor Projector Screens
Frame, inflatable and foldable outdoor movie screens compared, plus what screen gain means and how to handle wind in the backyard.
Top picks · 3 min read
Backyard Cinema
Best Outdoor Projectors
How to choose a projector for backyard movie nights, with honest picks from bright living-room models to battery-powered portables.
Top picks · 4 min read
Comparisons & how-to guides
Free backyard cinema tools
Browse every backyard cinema product we've researched
Filter by price tier and jump to the guide that covers each one.
Backyard Cinema: quick answers
How bright does an outdoor projector need to be?
Brighter is better outdoors, because ambient light is the enemy. As a rough guide, a projector in the low thousands of lumens handles dusk on a screen of about 100 inches, while dim portable models want near-total darkness or a smaller picture. Check which lumens measure the maker quotes, since not every brand uses the same one.
Can I leave a projector outside?
Most projectors are not weatherproof. Bring them inside after the movie, keep them off wet grass and away from sprinklers, and protect them from dew, dust and bugs. Follow the maker's instructions for operating conditions.
What size outdoor screen should I buy?
Match the screen to how many people are watching and how bright your projector is. A 100-inch screen is a common fit for a patio; going much bigger only pays off with a bright projector and a dark yard. Our screen-size calculator does the throw-distance math for you.