Mar 21, 2020 04:52 AM
https://www.mnn.com/family/family-activi...s-lockdown
EXCERPT: Storefronts may be shuttered, offices hushed and sidewalks sparsely treaded amid a looming pandemic. But one unlikely beacon is shining a little brighter these days. That would be the drive-in movie theater.
Indeed, after years of steadily retreating from the American landscape, these iconic venues may have found the spotlight again. As the Los Angeles Times reports, ticket sales at venues from California to Kansas to Oklahoma have surged in recent days, with gate receipts doubling at some theaters.
"It has been a welcome relief for families and adults looking for a little getaway from the house," Beau Bianchi, whose family own several theaters in California, tells the Times. "We've been trying to let people know that we have a safe environment and [offer] a little escape."
For an industry that seemed to have been on its last legs for decades — drive-in theaters have dwindled from 4,000 in the 1950s to around 325 today — it may not exactly be a Hollywood ending. [...] The drive-in may be having a moment, but all the public distractions that have been nibbling at the industry will eventually return.
In the meantime, these theaters offer a tempting proposition for people who may be feeling lockdown fatigue... (MORE)
EXCERPT: Storefronts may be shuttered, offices hushed and sidewalks sparsely treaded amid a looming pandemic. But one unlikely beacon is shining a little brighter these days. That would be the drive-in movie theater.
Indeed, after years of steadily retreating from the American landscape, these iconic venues may have found the spotlight again. As the Los Angeles Times reports, ticket sales at venues from California to Kansas to Oklahoma have surged in recent days, with gate receipts doubling at some theaters.
"It has been a welcome relief for families and adults looking for a little getaway from the house," Beau Bianchi, whose family own several theaters in California, tells the Times. "We've been trying to let people know that we have a safe environment and [offer] a little escape."
For an industry that seemed to have been on its last legs for decades — drive-in theaters have dwindled from 4,000 in the 1950s to around 325 today — it may not exactly be a Hollywood ending. [...] The drive-in may be having a moment, but all the public distractions that have been nibbling at the industry will eventually return.
In the meantime, these theaters offer a tempting proposition for people who may be feeling lockdown fatigue... (MORE)