Received this mail from listener ‘Lee Smithey’ regarding Drive-Ins:
“There used to be one up near Gallatin, TN, and I have some fond memories of going up there on a summer evening, throwing frisbee with friends as the sun went down, then sitting in lawn chairs under the moon watching two movies for the price of one until the wee hours.
My wife, my daughter, and I drove 45 minutes last weekend to the Delsea Drive-In (we live in Philadelphia now. Delsea is in NJ) see http://www.delseadrive-in.com/ to watch WALL-E and then Hancock. Its a baby-sitter free date – our two-year old slept on a pad in the back of our VW Golf while we watched the films.
Why aren’t drive-in theatres more popular? You get:
* a beautiful sky on most nights
* your own private viewing booth (your car)
* your own speaker system
* two movies
* a concession stand that sells everything from popcorn to eggplant
parmesan (I’m serious).
* time to stretch and visit during the intermission
* no problems with the people behind you whispering so loud that it
interrupts your viewing experience
I’d give up the Fordist / slaughterhouse routine (of being directed to big square climate-controlled theatres where you sit should-to-shoulder with people and where your shoes stick to the floor) more often if there were a drive-in closer to us.
Seems like it could be a winner for the owners too. I get that you can’t control the weather (they show the films even if its raining), and then there’s the mosquitos (There was a nice breeze blowing last weekend, so we didn’t need it, but we draped mosquito netting over the windows.) I also get that its seasonal (though I remember watching movies perfectly happy under blankets). I haven’t done the math on it of course, but it seems like the overhead would be so low that it could still turn a profit as a seasonal business. I bet they also end up selling more concessions than a regular theatre since people are there so much longer and there are so many more enticing options.
Just an idea for your show.”
(Photo above taken during my Belcourt Evening Excursion)
