Are Drive In movie theaters set for a come back?

As traditional movie theaters become vacant around the country amid the spread of the coronavirus, there’s a treasured relic of filmgoing past poised for an unlikely comeback: the drive-in movie theater.

Audiences are showing renewed interest in drive-ins, the moviegoing pastime long endangered as film watching moved out of parking lots and into malls and then living rooms over the past few decades. With most indoor theaters have shuttered across the United States, drive-ins are still generating revenue for the battered film industry.

After all, the drive-in offers a safe and practical option for people to spend a few hours away from self-quarantining and still practice social distancing (assuming your municipality is not under government-mandated “safer at home” orders). Aside from paying an entry fee, there’s virtually no human-to-human contact involved beyond. The drivers and passengers, presumably who have been sheltering together, remain confined to their cars, lined up in front of the massive screen. Follow Spotlife Asia for the latest news and updates.

A return to drive-ins could help soothe fears — among avid moviegoers, and, especially, exhibitors that the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the decline of traditional cinemas in the era of streaming and fractured entertainment options.

It’s especially appealing for those parents among us desperate to get the kids out of the house in ways that are not “walk around the block five times.” So why not pack the family into the minivan (more likely in 2020: mid-size SUV), pack up some snacks, turn on that radio dial and hit the drive-in? Maybe even sneak in a kid or two in the trunk for old time’s sake.

Of course it’s possible you’re reading this and have been patronizing drive-ins this whole time. Someone has been keeping the few remaining outdoor theaters in business. In that case, more power to you.

For the rest of us cinephiles who are allowed to venture out, the big challenge is finding a venue. According to AAA, there are only 305 drive-in theaters still operating in the U.S.

At their peak in the 1950s, there were more than 4,000 drive-ins nationwide. Theaters remain in 45 states; only Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana and North Dakota are bereft of drive-ins.

Movie studios have not only delayed numerous release dates (more on that later), they’ve also expedited the digital premieres of films like Universal’s The Invisible Man and The Hunt, Sony’s Bloodshot, and Disney’s Frozen 2 and Onward, among others. Universal went so far as to announce that the release of its family-friendly sequel Trolls World Tour will simultaneously arrive theaters and video on demand on the same date, April 10.

Assuming they can continue to operate, drive-in theaters could look at programming classic family-friendly fare like E.T. or The Princess Bride, or even older films from 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, when drive-ins were in their peak.

It’s a good old-fashioned social gathering and a newfound social-distancing exercise at the same time. Just bring your own popcorn.