Most movies are copyrighted works and as such, copyright law places specific restrictions on how a movie may be shown. Owning the DVD does not give you the right to show the movie outside of your home. In situations where you are renting our "White Dwarf/Moviemate" package and are showing the movie in your home/backyard to your "close circle of friends" then you most likely do not need public performance license. In all other situations, public performance licensing is needed.

For venues which are outdoors, or have viewers other than your "close circle of friends," a public performance license is needed. Licensing costs vary depending on the nature of the event, the movie, number of people, whether you are charging admission, etc. Generally, licensing costs will run from $150 to $500 (our rental pricing does not include a public performance license).

Two different companies can provide you with public performance licensing (click on the entry to be taken to their website):

• Swank (all studios except FOX)
• Criterion Pictures USA (FOX Studios)

You can normally get the rights to any movie currently available on DVD, with the exception of Disney and Disney owned studios - Click here to find out why.

We would be happy to help you with any questions you have.. Please contact us at 720.851.7410.

Aquiring a public performance license is entirely up to you. Just be aware that violations are subject to fines many times the cost of the license should you get caught performing without a license when one is needed. It is not the policy of Starry NIght Cinema to "play police" - our responsibility is to inform you of licensing requirements and allow you to take appropriate steps to aquire a license when needed.