We’re less than a month out from the return of Westpac OpenAir at Mrs Macquaries Point, and the team has finally revealed which films are showing in 2024. More importantly, tickets are on sale now.

As usual, expect a curated selection of recent and upcoming releases and certified classics, opening on January 10 with a premiere of Academy Award-winner Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. The critically acclaimed film covers Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s troubled marriage and co-stars none other than Australian Jacob Elordi (Euphoria’s Nate). Another premiere, Force of Nature: The Dry 2, the sequel to Australian Robert Connolly’s The Dry, sees Eric Bana reprise his role as Aaron Falk alongside Deborra-Lee Furness and Anna Torv.

In addition to these big premieres, special preview screenings include Wicked Little Letters, a black comedy and true story based on a scandal in 1920s England; All Of Us Strangers, a Queer love story played out between Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott; May December, another black comedy, starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore; and The Great Escaper, a heartwarming tale about a World War II vet (played by Michael Caine) who sneaks out of his nursing home to join a commemoration of the allies’ D-Day landings. Then there’s spy thriller Argylle, directed by Kingsman’s Matthew Vaughn and featuring a huge ensemble cast including Samuel L Jackson, Dua Lipa, Henry Cavill, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara and John Cena.

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Other talking points on the stacked program include Celine Song’s much-hyped Past Lives; Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro; Ridley Scott’s epic Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix; One Life, a remarkable Schindler’s List-like war story featuring Sir Anthony Hopkins; a musical revamp of the harrowing novel The Color Purple with Halle Bailey and Colman Domingo; a new Mean Girls based not on the original movie but on Tina Fey’s Broadway adaptation of the original movie; and the John Malkovich-esque black comedy Dream Scenario, whereby millions of people begin to see Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) in their dreams.

Some of 2023’s biggest films are also included: Barbie, Oppenheimer, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 and Saltburn, whether you want to relive them or missed out the first time around. And on the aforementioned classic front, get ready for rom-com Pretty Woman, eccentric French film Amelie and The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.

Films screen from sundown, but Westpac OpenAir gets buzzing well before then, with DJs spinning tunes and pop-up restaurants and bars. Mike & Friends is a casual, eclectic kitchen turning out dishes from Kitchen by Mike, Bar Copains, Kepos Street Kitchen and LP’s. Then there’s the reserved-seating Chandon Garden and the sit-down restaurant Summer House Dining, both featuring food from Kitchen by Mike owner and chef Mike Mike McEnearney.

westpacopenair.com.au/