Fifteen years ago, ARTRAGE looked at the top of a Northbridge car park and saw an opportunity: why not put a cinema up there? In February 2012, Rooftop Movies opened for the very first time on top of the Roe Street car park. What began as a trial open-air cinema has since become one of ARTRAGE’s longest-running projects and a much-loved part of summer in Perth.
This year, we’re proud to be celebrating 15 successful summers on the Roof.
The original Rooftop Movies looked bit different. The top of the Roe Street car park was transformed into a retro summer escape, complete with fake palm trees, vintage caravans and hundreds of pink flamingos overlooking the city. Perth embraced the idea from the beginning. The opening night screening of The Big Lebowski sold out in minutes, with close to 2,000 tickets snapped up in the early days of the first season. What started as a trial to see whether Perth audiences would enjoy watching films on top of a car park, had very quickly found its place in the city.
When Rooftop Movies first opened, the Perth skyline looked very different. Elizabeth Quay didn’t exist yet. Yagan Square wasn’t our neighbour. The new ECU City campus wasn’t towering over Northbridge. Since then buildings have gone up, venues have opened and closed, and the city around us has continued to evolve. While the view from the Roof may have changed, much of what makes Rooftop Movies special has stayed the same.
Over the years, it has become more than simply somewhere to watch a film. Rooftop Movies has become part of the Northbridge night out and a summer tradition for generations of Perth moviegoers. You can watch a movie almost anywhere, but Rooftop has always been about the experience surrounding it too. Across its 15-year history, the Roof has hosted much more than screenings, from live music and comedy to special events, yoga sessions and New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The 2026/27 season kicks off on 28 October, with another mix of new releases, cult favourites and special events. We’re opening the season with a celebration of Dolly Parton and 9 to 5, hosted by local drag icon BarbieQ, before The Rocky Horror Picture Show returns to the Roof for Halloween. Across the first program, audiences can also expect everything from cult favourites including Scream and Labyrinth to anticipated new releases including Practical Magic 2, Resident Evil and Verity.
Rooftop Movies started with a simple idea: take an overlooked part of the city and transform it into somewhere people wanted to spend their summer nights.
Fifteen years later, we’re still doing exactly that.
Perth is different now but on a warm summer night, with the sun setting over the city and a movie about to begin, there’s still something special about being on the Roof. Thank you to everyone who has joined us over the past 15 years, and to the partners, supporters, artists, crews and teams who have helped Rooftop Movies become what it is today.
See you on the Roof for another amazing season of movies.
