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This could only happen in places out in the sticks, such as Ocala. Where I'm from, another south florida suburb, the drive ins were paved over and made into sho
by yardie 7y ago
This could only happen in places out in the sticks, such as Ocala. Where I'm from, another south florida suburb, the drive ins were paved over and made into shopping malls decades ago. Our son has only seen them in a period movie/show, such as Stranger Things, so sometimes I would describe them in a bit of detail.
No one is going to these things for nostalgia. They are going to because they are bored at home, under quarantine, and looking for something to do. If the governor didn't excempt drive-ins no one would even bother.
- take_a_breath 7y agoI think it could happen in cities. We have huge, empty parking lots outside of sports stadiums that aren’t being used right now.
- rubidium 7y agoLight pollution would be annoying though
- CydeWeys 7y agoDepends on the city. Wouldn't work for me or almost anyone I know because almost none of us own cars. Because of social distancing this is only workable if most people own cars. And you wouldn't be able to easily hang out with your friends anyway; you'd only be in the same car as whoever you already live with, at which point just watching from the couch, with the comforts of your own bathroom and refrigerator, sounds more appealing. There's also contagion potential with the shared bathrooms and concessions at an outdoor theater type setup.
- BurningFrog 7y ago> Because of social distancing this is only workable if most people own cars "Most people" don't need to go. You only need enough people to fill up the place. If 1% of people in a big city starts going to drive in theaters, that would support several venues.
- CydeWeys 7y agoWe'll see. I'm curious to see if any of these open up here in NYC. I'm guessing it's just not worth trying to do, though; the uncertainty is so high, and the payoff window is likely quite narrow. The economy is pretty messed up right now though, and it's not a great time for new risky business ventures. And while you may be able to maintain social distancing while the venue is actually operating, how about while putting it together?
- yardie 7y agoI’ve seen stadium parking lots used for state fairs, concert festivals, and even racing events.
- Spivak 7y agoI mean I live in a pretty big city and we still have a few drive-ins. They’re cheap, dingy, basically just a snack stand, some projectors, and some gravel. But the experience is super fun and cute and intimate and social. Loading your friends up in the back of a van and being able to just hang out and chat while some movies play is so nice. It’s tailgating for non-sports people. I don’t think they’ll ever need to blow-up since the operating costs are basically nothing. They can afford to be a little out of the way since you’re driving there anyway and they’ll just grab the cheapest plot they can find. The middle ground seems to the be the outdoor movie circuit which is essentially picnicking to a movie. Cleaner, more expensive, marketing to young professionals. There’s lots of food trucks and local vendors. But dammit it’s just not the same as building a blanket fort in your car, smoking weed, eating Milk Duds, and making out with your boyfriend while watching a B horror flick on a Friday night.
- mark-r 7y agoAny place that has an expanding population has had land prices rise to where a drive-in theater isn't practical anymore. The one I went to as a teen was turned into a Medtronic campus. I haven't seen a drive-in theater in ages.