Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/06/30/original-ghostbusters-retu.html
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Entertainment providers have figured out that drive-in theaters are the perfect way to socially distance while having some retro-style summer fun.
It’s too bad so many shut down in favor of mall theaters and other commercial development. According to this site that lists locations, there are only 325 left in the US:
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Ghostbusters is one of my favorite movies, but it came out when I was a little kid so I never got to see it in a theater until the last time they did this (probably the 30th anniversary back in 2014). I highly recommend seeing it, or really any movie you like, on the big screen if you get the chance. It’s a completely different experience- you’ll notice things you never did before no matter how many times you’ve seen it, and the shared audience enthusiasm makes it feel more exciting and fun (though maybe less so in a drive-in, of course). I wouldn’t go to a regular, indoor theater during the pandemic, though. It’s fun, but not worth risking your life over.
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“I ain’t afraid of no COVID!”
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Would be great if they’d cut the ghost blowjob scene, a 15 second joke that is completely unnecessary and unfunny.
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I agree. I went to a drive in a few times as a kid and enjoyed it. Being able to bring your own food was a plus for families on a budget. But a couple years ago, after getting my 1960 Ford running again, I decided the perfect way to celebrate world be to take my wife and kids to see Cars 3 at a drive-in. It was my first time going to one in something like 35 years, so I was a little dismayed to see that nearly every vehicle there was a large SUV, truck or minivan, making it impossible for us to find an unobstructed view in our sedan. I should have anticipated that, I guess, but it was still a bit of a disappointment. The iconic experience of couples snuggling in their old sedans and convertibles is gone forever most likely, and it’s not just due to the lack of drive-in theaters. I hate this damn SUV/truck obsession this country is going through.
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Two overrated things in one.
I wonder if there are theaters with more elevated screens. Back in the day, some migrated from the old window speakers to radio sound systems. With huge improvements in audio it’s a shame that sight lines and the overall video experience aren’t always given the same consideration.
Hopefully, that doesn’t lead people to try car rooftop viewing or dining!
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The Bengies, a great drive-in outside of Baltimore, MD, does staggered parking with a colored pole system: sedans up front, sedans and some SUVs in the middle, all SUVs in the back. Some weekend nights they host classic car shows, and have a big section of classic cruisers.
As for the couples snuggling, you’re on your own there.
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Drive-ins have been struggling for many years now, which is why the vast majority have disappeared. I doubt that many, if any, had the financial resources, let alone the approval from the local building departments, to significantly elevate or upsize their screens to keep up with the SUV phenomenon.
When I was there quite a few attendees had backed into the spots and were watching from chairs in their truck beds.
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Ah, drive-ins… Drive there on your bicycle with a couple of friends, climb the railway embankment behind it so you’d have a good view of the big screen over the perimeter fence, and watch movies you’d be to young to see at a cinema. No sound, sure, but like that would matter for an action movie. Besides, you could always make up your own dialogue.
I watched The Empire Strikes Back for the first time that way one summer.
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In my area, one of the independent cinemas is creating temporary drive-ins in parking lots. I haven’t been, so I don’t know how well it’s working out.
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Like self-service car washes and miniature golf courses, the drive-in movie theaters disappear as property values rise. The only really successful one that I’ve been to in the last 20 years is out on Cape Cod in Wellfleet, and I suspect that only stayed in business because of the nostalgia factor of the summertime tourists.
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Who did the art at the top of the post? Reminds me of Tom Whalen, but maybe not.
Here in perpetually sunny southern CA, we still have a few and a lot of them augment their revenue by hosting swap meets…
My only issue is that when my wife and I go to the drive in down in Imperial Beach (south of downtown San Diego) I know I’ll have to use the john and I’d rather not use a public one during a pandemic…
Yeah, but one less pretty soon. Maybe the extra business due to Covid-19 will convince them to stay open just a bit longer but the property has already been sold to developers.
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Looks like that same company owns the one that we’ve gone to.
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