Texas Dad Turns $300 Amazon Gift Into Booming Backyard Movie Business Making $10,000 a Week

One recent week brought Derek $10,000 (£7,482) in bookings. The equipment behind it started out as a $300 (£224) Christmas present, and he says the takings came with 'very minimal effort'.

The North Dallas father runs Backyard Movie Theater, a Texas business that sets up inflatable cinema screens, sound systems, and themed seating for parties, schools, and neighbourhood events. He never set out to build a company. 'It was a Christmas gift for my family,' Derek told entrepreneur Chris Koerner on his YouTube show, The Koerner Office.

Two years ago, he bought a 16-foot inflatable screen on Amazon for about $250 to $300 (£187 to £224) as a present for his wife and his son, who was eight at the time. They watched films in the garden. Then the school year wound down and his son asked for a movie night with friends. Parents turned up, liked what they saw, and neighbours began asking whether Derek did this for hire. He did not. He listed it on Facebook Marketplace anyway, just to see what came back.

The first paid job, a homeowners' association event, did not go to plan. A wind of around 10 miles per hour caught the cheap screen and set it flailing like the inflatable tube figures outside a car dealership. Derek moved the screening into the development's amenity centre and waived his fee.

'It was a nightmare, but a great learning experience,' he said.

How a $300 Inflatable Screen Grew Into a Real Business

That early stumble convinced him to spend properly. He ordered a 20-foot commercial screen from Alibaba for about $3,500 (£2,619), then paid close to $900 to $1,100 (£673 to £823) more to ship it from overseas. A $1,100 (£823) projector followed, along with two top-of-the-range JBL speakers at $1,500 (£1,122) apiece. All in, the outdoor rig accounts for about $10,000 (£7,482) in equipment.

His first proper booking went for $290 (£217). Now he sells packages rather than single items. The entry option, a screen and speakers, starts at $375 (£281). Add LED seating and the price climbs to around $850 (£636). The top outdoor tier runs to $1,500 (£1,122), which he has sold about four times.

Air-Conditioned Inflatable Cinema and the Backyard Movie Boom

Derek's indoor cinema tackles a distinctly Texan problem. In summer, the sky does not turn fully dark until about 9:30 p.m., long past bedtime for the young children who fill most of his bookings. So he designed a sealed, air-conditioned inflatable cinema that stays pitch black inside at any hour of the day. He says no competitor offers one. 'I'm the only one,' he told Koerner.

Building it took time. His first manufacturer could not make it, so he found another and spent about two months on the design, calling for air-conditioning ducts in each corner, interior lighting, and full carpeting. The room cost roughly $3,500 (£2,619), since he reused the projector and speakers he already owned. He rents it for $1,700 (£1,272) and has booked it around 10 times, usually to wealthier clients on several acres of land. Some pay weeks in advance.

The wider numbers are climbing. Derek made about $40,000 (£29,928) in his first full year and expects $90,000 to $100,000 (£67,338 to £74,820) this year, at profit margins he puts at 70 to 80 per cent. A 24-foot-square LED dance floor is the newest addition. It cost him roughly $20,000 (£14,964) to buy, rents for $3,000 (£2,245), and he has hired it out once so far.

The dance floors grew straight out of the movie nights. Derek noticed children kept dancing to music videos after the credits rolled, so he started renting illuminated floors for weddings, milestone birthdays, and end-of-year school events. He describes the whole operation as one business with three services rather than three separate ventures.

His takings sit well above the norm for a side venture. The average American side hustler earned $885 (£662) a month in 2025, with a median of just $200 (£150), according to a Bankrate survey of more than 2,600 adults. Derek still has no real marketing system. He relies on Facebook Marketplace and referrals, while also flying drones commercially and running a drinkware brand with his wife that has supplied Macy's and American Eagle.

His advice to anyone thinking of copying him is short. 'Do your research first,' he said. 'The lowest price is not always the best.'