Westpac OpenAir will make a comeback to Mrs Macquaries Point in January, with Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme.
The event makes its 30th Sydney season and will be built around premieres, previews and recent theatrical hits.
Billed as the world’s most beautiful cinema, the 2026 season will run for 47 nights from 9 January to 24 February.
Tickets go live at 9am AEDT on 8 December through the Westpac OpenAir website, with organisers once again expecting strong demand for headline titles and opening week screenings.
The season opens with the Australian premiere of Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow, described as the tale of a rambunctious young ping pong champ from New York and already attracting early awards buzz.
The following night the screen turns to Toronto Audience Award winner Hamnet, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, which imagines the life of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes in the lead up to Hamlet.
The first week also features the premiere of Sydney to Hobart documentary feature True South and Bradley Cooper’s new film Is this Thing On?, starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern.
Premieres, previews and local stories
Across January and February, the program leans into a mix of Australian premieres, international previews and local production showcase moments.
Later in January, the red carpet is set to roll out for the premiere of Australian feature Addition, starring Teresa Palmer and produced by Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Jodie Matterson’s Made Up Stories.
February brings the Sydney premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s documentary EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, which made a strong impression at Toronto.
That is followed by Chris Hemsworth’s thriller Crime 101, which also stars Barry Keoghan and Monica Barbaro.
On 12 February, Emerald Fennell’s take on Wuthering Heights arrives on the harbour, with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi cast as Catherine and Heathcliff in what is being positioned as one of the season’s key romance titles.
Rounding out the new releases are Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in feel good music film Song Sung Blue, Glen Powell in inheritance comedy How To Make A Killing, and Scottish feature I Swear, telling the story of Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson with a mix of humour and drama.
The program also makes room for some of the biggest theatrical releases of 2025, giving audiences another chance to see them on a large waterfront screen.
Titles set to return include Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman comedy The Roses, Formula One drama F1 with Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, Tom Cruise’s final turn as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, box office leader Wicked: For Good, and the latest instalment in the Avatar franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash.
International favourites and feel good Fridays
A run of foreign language titles is also on the schedule, including French film My Brother’s Band, Italian romance Somebody to Love, Icelandic feature The Love That Remains, Norwegian awards contender Sentimental Value and Macedonian romance DJ Ahmet.
Fridays lean into crowd-pleasing nostalgia, with a discounted Feel Good Fridays series that brings back perennial favourites Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia, The Devil Wears Prada, How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days and Ten Things I Hate About You.
Food, bars and harbour views
As in previous seasons, Westpac OpenAir is positioning itself as a combined food, film and harbour experience rather than a standard cinema night.
From 6pm each evening, more than a thousand patrons are expected to gather at Mrs Macquaries Point, with four harbourside bars and restaurants operating on site.
This year’s food line up includes offerings from chefs Danielle Alvarez and Luke Nguyen, along with a harbourside oyster bar.
Organisers say the combination of Sydney Harbour views, on site dining and a program heavy on premieres and audience favourites is designed to underline the “only in Sydney” positioning that has been attached to the event over its three decade run.
Full program details and dining package information are available on the Westpac OpenAir website, with tickets on sale from 8 December at 9am AEDT.