Aussie traveller stunned as Mel Gibson’s The Patriot projected onto luggage cabins during a flight

After flying hundreds of flights, an veteran Aussie traveler was left speechless when the passenger in front of him started projecting a Hollywood blockbuster mid-flight.

Douglas Lazic-Kirk, of NSW’s Central Coast, filmed the moment when a person who had three seats to himself pulled out a pocket projector to stream Mel Gibson’s “The Patriot.”

The image took up the entire surface of one of the overhead baggage compartments, with air stewards seemingly not interrupting their viewing.

Closed captions were turned on so the entire cabin could enjoy the show, but most chose to focus on their own phones and ignore the passenger’s free movie theater experience.

Despite flying on more than 800 flights, Mr. Lazic-Kirk had never seen such a bold display of audacity.

“I’ve flown on over 800 flights to 147 countries and never seen anything like it,” he told Storyful.

“I fly a lot, that just surprised me to see that on the plane. That’s why I started filming,” he told USA Today.

The inclusion of subtitles was praised by some online, who criticized the notoriously small selection of titles that the hearing impaired can enjoy on airlines.

Others said it was like a blast from the past when there was only one screen on the front of the cabin for everyone to look at.

“Remember when we all watched the same movie on a plane because it was the only one they had? That’s the vibe I get,” said one person.

“The fear I would have had when choosing the movie. It’s too much pressure,” said another.

Released in 2000, The Patriot revolves around a widowed farmer – Gibson – who decides not to join the war effort in 1776, but changes his mind when his son – Heath Ledger – is captured.