![]() “Naturally, the attributes of the multiplex did not work well within the confines of the pandemic, but consumers hungry to get out of the house found the drive-in to be the perfect solution to a question that no one had even thought to ask just a year before,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, which tracks global box office data. Through the first 30 weeks of 2021, they’re still gobbling up a greater share of box office revenue than they did pre-pandemic: averaging 6.2% of weekend box office dollars this year versus nearly 1.9% for the first 30 weeks of 2019, Comscore data show.Ī view of the Miami Screening of the HBO Documentary Film 'Revolution Rent' at Nite Owl Drive-In Theater on Jin Miami, Florida. During that same period in 2019, drive-ins accounted for just 2.9% of box office revenue.Īnd although films and people have started to return to brick-and-mortar cinemas (albeit at far lower levels than before), drive-ins are showing that they have staying power. Last year, from late-March through mid-August, drive-ins generated 85% of North American box office revenue (and some weeks contributed north of 95%), according to Comscore data provided to CNN Business. But while it might have been dismissed as another anomaly in a year full of unusual economic blips, the renewed interest in drive-in theaters looks like it’s here to stay. “I want to do my part to flatten the curve.”Īnd by Wednesday, March 25, the Blue Starlite too had gone dark.During a pandemic that upended lives, broke routines, and mothballed most forms of in-person activities, a funny thing happened in the entertainment business: The drive-in theater saved the cinema. He is in touch with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Oregon Health Authority and his state representative, to see, “when, if, and how we can open for the 2020 season,” he said. Francis is hesitant to do so until he is sure Oregon won’t implement a lockdown. “Folks are thinking that the drive-in is the original social distance way to see a movie, and this is some kind of golden opportunity for the vanishing drive-ins to shine,” he wrote in an email.īut Mr. There are some drive-in theaters that would love to open right now but are prevented by restrictions or their worries.Īfter advertising on social media that it would open seven days a week while children are out of school, the Summer Quartet Drive In in Memphis was forced to close Wednesday because it is operated by Malco, and the company closed all its theaters.īrian Francis, who runs the 99W Drive-In Theatre in Newberg, Ore., received 30 messages from customers in the past week asking him to open early. Servers wearing latex gloves deliver them to the car so crowds don’t congregate in concession stands. Many theaters have started having people order concessions by phone. At the Blue Starlite, you could flash your tickets on your phone from your window to gain admission. “I do feel that if people did try a drive-in they would see the magic of the experience.”ĭrive-in theaters have taken extra precautions to ensure social distancing. “We made the choice to make the most of our time,” Mr. People were even dancing by their cars at intermission, though there is a rule that they must stay in their car at all times except to use the restroom. “I don’t want this to be, ‘We found a loophole in the situation, and we are going to operate an underground business the government is trying to shut down.’” “It’s a responsibility on our side to be as safe as possible,” Mr. Of course, none of that is set in stone, he said. While the option of showing movies seems to be ruled out, the state is currently allowing him to sell popcorn over the weekend and lend his venue to churches for services (patrons can sit in the car and listen to the service on their radios). For the past week he has been in discussions with the governor of Kentucky and the commissioner of public health. “But I also wonder if it’s a too-good-to-be-true kind of thing.” “I think we’ve got a lucky opportunity,” said Stephen Sauerbeck, who owns Sauerbeck Family Drive-In Theater in La Grange, Ky. Other owners are proceeding with caution, watching a situation that changes every day. “Who would have thought that drive-in movies would one day again become the most attractive option for going out?” Mr. ![]() While most drive-in theaters open for the summer, some of their owners decided to get an early start this year to provide families an escape insulated by their cars during the pandemic, as malls, concert halls and restaurants shut down. says every state has a drive-in movie theater except Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana and North Dakota. But there are still 305 of them in the United States, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association in Stephens City, Va.
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