All you need to know about legal aspects of showing films in public
Are you planning a public movie event?
You need to understand movie licensing, costs involved and ways to save on the licences.
Good news – no licence is required to show films in your backyard to your family and friends!
Any event beyond your backyard, including free events, is subject to licensing. Non-compliance may cost you up to $250,000, so read on to avoid the penalty!
Public screenings include, for example:
- Showing films at school, in the sports centre, or in the library
- Fundraising events
- Movie nights at Holiday Parks and on the public ovals
- Watching movies at film societies or on mining camps
- Screening movies on private land (golf clubs, wineries)
Where do I obtain licences?
In Australia, Roadshow PPL represents the majority of film studios and film distributors, including Warner Bros, Universal, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, and Walt Disney.
Amalgamated Movies are non-theatrical film distributors for Sony Pictures (Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures), and others.
Contact these licensors and request permission to screen two or three movies, in case the first choice film is not yet available for public performance. Most of the movies are available for non-theatrical screening events only several weeks after DVD release.
Public performance of music requires a separate licence. Contact Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) for details.
What costs can you expect?
If you are planning to show movies to the non-paying audience throughout the year, you may be eligible for a blanket licence. Blanket licence is paid once a year and gives permission to show films all year round – no need to pay for each film! Budget several hundred dollars for a yearly licence, depending on your location and on the size of your audience.
For a one-off event, the costs for a standard movie licence vary from $300 to $1000. A country primary school will be on the lower end of the scale whilst a commercial organization will be on the higher end of the scale.
Organising a ticketed event? Prepare for the minimum flat fee or for 30-35% of your ticket sales, whichever is greater.
The licensing costs depend on:
- Audience size and screen size
- Distance to the nearest hardtop cinema
- Location of the event and ticket prices
When planning an event, contact the licensing officials for the quote and mention all details of the event to get the accurate costs of movie licensing.
What are the options to minimise costs when organising events on a big screen?
- Some film distributors are cheaper than others. Amalgamated Movies can be more budget friendly. Choose among films made by Sony Pictures (there are some excellent kids’ movies and adult classics on offer!) or look through their range of Australian movies, anime, Bollywood, Asian Cinema and independent films.
- Screening Art House films will cost you far less than recent Hollywood blockbusters.
- National Film and Sound Archive offers to loan the films pre-licensed for non-theatrical and educational screenings. For as little as $22 dollars, show such films as Babe. Pig in the City, Cinderella, Bran Nue Dae, Happy Feet, Mao’s Last Dancer, and others. The restrictions will be for indoor spaces only. You also need to meet the NTLC terms and conditions of loan available at: http://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/screening-loans/.
- Consider showing documentaries – great way to educate community, and often, a very affordable one! For example, “Edible City”, a documentary on sustainable local food system, will only cost $125 for local government or $39 for the library!
- Christian camps and schools can obtain yearly licence via their Church, at very reasonable rates, via Heritage Films or via Church Video Licence.
- Schools should check if they are covered by the co-curricular licence, which allows showing films for entertainment purposes. Unfortunately, this licence does not allow screening films for general public and for fundraising activities.
Free alternatives
Some of the fun activities and events do not require any licensing expenses. Consider the following entertainment ideas:
- Watching live to air TV, including free to air films, footy finals, state of Origin matches, or Olympic games, does not require licensing. All you need is a set top box connected to the projector. Replay of these events, however, may require a licence.
- Youth can play computer games on inflatable screen – this activity normally does not require licensing as well.
Finally, to organise a public movie event, you need equipment. We provide both projection screens and complete portable cinema packages. Check our store to find the cinema equipment for your audience.
Hi Olga
Great information.
I have 500 acres 1.20 mins outside Melbourne.
I currently have a camping farmstay business and I wish to express my other passion which is movies.
Could you contact me to have a chinwag
Hi Steven, great idea – we’ll get in touch with you personally to advise.
I’m looking at traveling to outback & regional communities & showing documentaries, DVD, Christian & family type movies from my caravan in Parks, free camping sites etc. Could you advise what I need in way of licence, permission.
Hi Olga .
I have a passion for movie and a venue to show them .
Can I speak to you about accessing movies
Cheers
Hi Andrew,
I can advise you that you would need to contact The distributor of the said movie you wish to screen, however we have no connection to them- we simply supply AV and screen equipment.
If you are looking for a system to show movies on I can definitely help you.
I want to show a couple movies , not charging for a football night
Hi Cheryl,
In order to screen movies publicly you need to obtain a license from the distributor of the film, regardless of if you are charging or it is a free event, there will still be a small fee.
Hi Olga
How and where would I apply for a blanket licence?
How do I find out more details on blanket licence.
We are a very small remote outback community wishing to show movies at no charge to our patrons. Nearest cinema is at least 350 km away.
Hi Leanne, if you head over to the Roadshow website – https://roadshowppl.com.au/wpLicence/LicensingOptionBlanket.aspx , it lists information regarding the blanket licences. You can also send through an enquiry directly and they will be able to establish which type of licensing is best applicable.
Universal Jurasic World Fallen Kingdom is a recent movie release on DVD.
I run a Rotary Youth Group of 15 students and we wish to have the movie shown for us at the newly upgraded Batlow Literary Institute following our Christmas BBQ pool party at the local pool.
Is there a special license we can gain to do this.
Hi Margaret, you can acquire a single-screening licence for the purpose of a one-off movie screening. Have a read through the Roadshow website – https://roadshowppl.com.au/wpLicence/LicencingGeneral.aspx and click ‘Request a public performance’to apply for the license.
Hi there, we’re a theatre group with our own theatre and screening equipment and we want to start showing classics and art house films. Can I talk to someone about how to get this off the ground? Would imagining charging patrons around $5 a ticket.
Thanks.
Hi Michael, you may be able to apply for a blanket licence if your screening movies on a regular basis. Depending on the films your planning on showing will determine whom you need to get licences from. Additionally, licencing costs are generally higher if selling tickets to patrons. Check out https://roadshowppl.com.au/wpLicence/LicencingGeneral.aspx for more information.
Did you know you can screen broadcast quality Australian theatre? Contact us for affordable rates of $250-$350 for school/community events. We have a catalogue of 6 plays and are continuing to expand our library.
Best,
Natalie from Australian National Theatre Live
Hi. Can anyone get movie licensing to show movies and documentaries on Internet? I want to start an Internet TV station. How much would licensing content for this cost? The content I am interested in would not be the latest movies produced, but, also, not from the silent era either. Is there a yearly cost (hopefully a low yearly cost) that might be available for such an enterprise? Also, can you tell me how I would go about finding genres of the movies and docs I want to show? I am interested in showing some unique and forgotten gems that might be hard to find. Thanks so much.
It would depend on movies being shown. There are two main bodies in Australia that control most of the movie rights for public viewing. However, for smaller independent movies it may fall outside of their control. Plus, as the audience viewing across the internet may not be limited to Australia only, technically it could require licensing under multiple countries.