Cinema Under the Stars returns to Orange after three years

January 23, 2023

Cinema Under the Stars Orange. Supplied.

By Peter Holmes

Outdoor cinema is returning to Orange after a three-year break due to Covid.

People are invited to bring a picnic to Orange Botanic Gardens on Saturday February 11 from 5:30pm.

Screening at Newcastle Permanent’s Cinema Under the Stars is the 2021 movie Sing 2.

The free event includes live music, children’s activities and roving acts. Sing 2 (rated PG) will start as the sun goes down.

“What a brilliant way to bring us together as a community after three interrupted years – sitting together in the open air, sharing a laugh and relaxing to a great flick is just about the best way to spend a sunny evening," said Olivia Haig from the Orange branch of Newcastle Permanent.

Cinema Under the Stars Orange. Supplied.

Sing 2 - official explainer

Buster (Matthew McConaughey) has turned the New Moon Theater into a local hit, but Buster has his eyes on a bigger prize: Debuting a new show at the Crystal Tower Theater in glamorous Redshore City.

A scene from Sing 2. lllumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures.

But with no connections, Buster and his cast—including harried mother pig Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), rocker porcupine Ash (Scarlett Johansson), earnest gorilla Johnny (Taron Egerton), shy elephant Meena (Tori Kelly) and porcine provocateur Gunter (Nick Kroll) - have to sneak their way into the world-famous Crystal Entertainment offices, run by ruthless mogul wolf Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale).

In a desperate attempt to get Crystal’s attention, Gunter spontaneously pitches an outrageous idea that Buster quickly runs with, promising that their new show will star lion rock legend Clay Calloway (Bono from U2).

Problem is, Buster has never met Clay, an artist who shut himself away from the world more than a decade ago after the loss of his wife. Even worse, Buster has failed to realise that Crystal is an egocentric gangster who would rather drop somebody off the roof of a building than be lied to.

Sing 2. lllumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures.

As Gunter helps Buster dream up an out-of-this-world theatrical masterpiece, and the pressure (and sinister threats) from Crystal mount, Rosita’s leading role in the show gets ripped away and handed to Crystal’s spoiled daughter, Porsha, played by Halsey.

Desperate to save the show, and his life, Buster embarks on a quest to find Clay and persuade him to return to the stage.