The comeback of drive in theaters

[kphoger]

But, in most cars, to use the heating and cooling, the car has to be on. That means you have to leave the car running for two to three hours. People may not be willing to do that, either due to the price of gas, or due to wasteful carbon emissions.

Not just those factors, but also that everyone would be breathing in everyone else's exhaust.  And, if your vehicle has an exhaust leak of its own, then you don't even want to leave your car running when your by yourself.

Also, indoor theaters used to be very formal, where people used to have to get dressed up to attend one.  Drive-ins were informal, and were the first to realize the profits one could make from snack sales horny teen-agers who want a good location for making out in their car.

Edited.

[Takumi]

There's an active drive-in in far western Goochland County, VA, about halfway between Richmond and Charlottesville.

[ErmineNotyours]

Does anyone know what killed the drive in theaters?
iPhone

The ones I knew about went in the direction of showing more adult-oriented movies, and less family-oriented movies, which eventually caught up to them.

The Skyline Drive-in of Shelton, Washington went adult for a few years, then went back to general interest when video impacted porno more than regular movies.  I knew the projectionist and he has a saved frame from one of the adult movies displayed on the reel makeup desk.  He also had a photo showing the long-winded disclaimer sign that used to be on the box office, claiming that the movies were art films.

The Des Moines (indoor) Theater of Des Moines, Washington also went adult and back to regular again.  Unlike other theaters in the area, this theater wasn't picketed, so it simply showed jackoff pictures until it died a natural death, then went back to second-run general interest.  When the Lewis & Clark Theater closed, they were actually able to show first-run movies.  They even upgraded to Dolby Stereo.  What finally killed it was the upgrade to digital.

[ErmineNotyours]

Also, indoor theaters used to be very formal, where people used to have to get dressed up to attend one.  Drive-ins were informal, and were the first to realize the profits one could make from snack sales horny teen-agers who want a good location for making out in their car.

Edited.

The Starlight Drive-in of Tacoma Washington even left trees in the back rows with speaker posts for the ultimate in privacy.

http://cdm17061.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p17061coll21/id/33696/rec/20

[skluth]

The drive-ins heyday was back when large TV screens were rare; a big home TV was maybe 22"-25", 27" if you were rich. I can walk into my local Costco and buy a better 55" TV for the same cost today, and inflation has made that same $400 worth over $3000 today. Many have even larger screens in home theaters which almost duplicates the cinema experience of quality in viewing and may exceed it in sound. The experience is a fun family activity and their current popularity is more because it's an available out-of-the-house activity when so many are not possible; the sound is terrible at drive-ins and many show old movies because they don't have the digital equipment to show the new ones.

There just aren't many other options. Restaurants are mostly takeout and the ones open in my town have most/all of their dining outside, not a great choice in the SoCal desert. Parks may be open and they might even have nature walks, but facilities may be closed including those with educational exhibits (and their bathrooms). Museums, zoos, and bars are closed. You can only go exploring on so many long drives, especially with kids in the car. It's like cake or death - ooh, I think I'll choose cake. Or, in this case, the drive-in.

[GreenLanternCorps]

There are a few drive-in movie theaters around here that still play movies for old time's sake. They can't show new releases, unfortunately, so they opt for showing older ones like Ghostbusters or How to Train Your Dragon. They naturally allow you to social distance unless you are in line to pay or get concessions.. on the topic of concessions, this would be a huge loss for the theater as it is much easier to bring your own food and beverage. I would much rather buy a sharing size M&M and a 44oz from the Kum & Go across the street than get whatever overpriced garbage they already have at the theater. Lastly, bringing a lawn chair to place next to the car is an option if you don't want to actually sit in it and kill the battery.

There are a number that still show new releases.  My oldest son, my daughter and I saw Avengers: Endgame at the Holiday Auto Theatre  in Hamilton, Ohio on it's premiere weekend.  Most regular theaters were sold out.  We parked the van in backwards opened the back and set up some chairs and a radio for sound.

Until Covid, they always had new run films, sometimes combined with an older movie as the second feature.  Sometimes two new runs in a row.

https://www.holidayautotheatre.com/