HOLLYWOOD, Calif.  –  The sound of fresh popcorn on the stove has become the latest movie night ritual for Brian Udovich and his family, and as Udovich will tell you, they've taken this ritual seriously. 

"You should be using specific kinds of seeds, and that you should be serving it with real butter on top," said Udovich. 

That buttery popcorn is all to help re-create that now-nostalgic experience of going to the theater to catch a flick.

MORE ENTERTAINMENT STORIES:

But now, the theater is in their living room as Udovich and his family are part of the free, newly-launched AFI Movie Club. 

"What's excited us about AFI Movie Club is the curated aspect of suggestions of movies that we should be revisiting," said Udovich.  

With theaters closed, the American Film Institute formed the AFI Movie Club to build a sense of community for movie lovers.

It launched on March 31 with The Wizard of Oz. Every day at 10 a.m. the "movie of the day" is announced by a special guest via social media, like when actress Halle Berry introduced E.T.

The AFI has a long history of creating movie lists and has special archival footage...so they wanted to share it during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We think that one of those things is to help people in their homes, is to create some kind of avenue for entertainment," said Julie Goodwin.

Not only is there a shared communal experience with watching the same movies, but also through social media with the hashtag #afimovieclub.

"We got this great clip of this little girl in her pajamas watching the movie for the first time and she was singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," Goodwin said.

Back at the Udovich house...popcorn is done and they are ready to watch E.T.

But during these uncertain times, Udovich says it's comforting to watch cinematic stories with his family...because we're all going through an experience like a character...journeying somewhere unknown...and coming back different.

"As Dorothy goes into Oz and changes and comes home to only appreciate what's around her more, I feel movies do that to us in a magical way as well," Udovich said.

And these days to tap into that movie magic...well...there's no place like home.