Best gifts for movie binge watchers

Ah, the holidays, the only time of the year that it’s acceptable to chug eggnog until you can’t fit into your pants anymore. It’s also the best time to stay up all night watching movies.

Everyone deserves a break, and if you or anyone in your life is up for a challenge, we’ve posed the best gifts for movie binge watchers to enjoy over the long winter. They’re not all movies themselves, because that would be absurd: a list with all movies in the digital streaming age? Rather, we’ve put together a list of must-have gear and companion apps for the film lover in your life.

These range from hardware to unlimited smartphone plans, but stick with us because we guarantee you that we’ve assimilated a list of items that any movie buff can appreciate – young, old, you name it. Whether the recipient can recite every line from Monsters Inc. or they’ve seen every Quentin Tarantino movie at least a dozen times, keep reading below for the best gifts for movie binge watchers.

1. Xbox One S

You might be thinking, “What? An Xbox? Isn’t that for video games?” Yes and no. When Microsoft announced the Xbox One back in 2013, it was positioned as an all-in-one box that can handle every last one of your entertainment needs. This includes gaming, but isn’t limited to interactive media. Because it’s also one of the cheapest 4K Blu-Ray players on the market, you’ll want one for that special someone in your life who can’t look away from the silver screen.

2. MoviePass

You might have to wait a few months to receive your membership card, but a MoviePass subscription is where it’s at for filmgoers right now. It’s $9.95 a month and you can see a 2D movie once a day for the entire billing period. That means, on some months, you could theoretically see 31 movies in theaters for less than the price of a ticket at most cinemas. That’s an absurd amount of value – the only problem is that there have been substantial delays on the cards that are required to start using MoviePass.

3. Life of Pi on 4K Blu-Ray

This was a tough choice on our part. After strenuous amounts of soul-searching, we found one movie to recommend based on the fact that it’s a) available on 4K Blu-Ray, so you can show off your gorgeous HDR TV and b) it’s an excellent movie, especially if you overlooked it in 2012. Based on the novel of the same name written by Yann Martel, Life of Pi follows a young Indian boy named Piscine Molitor (aka “Pi”) who gets stranded in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger. It took home three Golden Globe awards after eleven nominations, and it’s gorgeous to boot.

4. TCL 55S405 55-inch 4K TV

Of course, you’re going to want something to showcase these high-fidelity 4K movies that you’re buying. If you don’t mind shelling out the extra cash, the TCL 55S405 is one of the most affordable options for TVs that give you both a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution and high dynamic range (HDR). So for about $400, you’re not only getting the sharpest picture, but you’re also getting a TV with a sizable enough color palette to nearly make your eyes bleed. Have fun!

5. Unlimited talk, text and data for $50 a month

For the truly dedication movie binge-watcher, film doesn’t stop when you leave the house. When watching movies truly is life, you need an unlimited data plan to watch Netflix, HBO Now and Amazon Prime video on the go (although the true movie lover ought to be streaming on Plex). And on Sprint’s lightning-fast 4G LTE network, you can’t go wrong by making the switch to Boost Mobile (opens in new tab).

At just $50 a month – including taxes and fees – you can net yourself unlimited talk, text and data and watch all the movies you want, wherever you are and whenever you want. There are a ton of phones to choose from as well.

Even more Christmas gift coverage

Want even more? We have just that with our XmasRadar channel on TechRadar. It has all of the best gift ideas this holiday season, from tech to games to music. There's a present for everyone on your shopping list.