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The second coming of the drive-in theater

#1
Magical Realist Offline
"During a pandemic that upended lives, broke routines, and mothballed most forms of in-person activities, a funny thing happened in the entertainment business: The drive-in theater saved the cinema. But while it might have been dismissed as another anomaly in a year full of unusual economic blips, the renewed interest in drive-in theaters looks like it's here to stay.

Last year, from late-March through mid-August, drive-ins generated 85% of North American box office revenue (and some weeks contributed north of 95%), according to Comscore data provided to CNN Business. During that same period in 2019, drive-ins accounted for just 2.9% of box office revenue.

And although films and people have started to return to brick-and-mortar cinemas (albeit at far lower levels than before), drive-ins are showing that they have staying power. Through the first 30 weeks of 2021, they're still gobbling up a greater share of box office revenue than they did pre-pandemic: averaging 6.2% of weekend box office dollars this year versus nearly 1.9% for the first 30 weeks of 2019, Comscore data show....

....In Loudon County, Tennessee, a new arrival features a modern twist that its operator hopes could serve as the future of the concept.

The centerpiece of the LoCo Drive-In is a 35-by-63-foot Samsung video board, a jumbotron with the capabilities of allowing for both daytime and nighttime showings of movies, live sports and other events.

"It's an idea I've had in my head for 25 years," Gordon Whitener, owner of Loudon Entertainment LLC, said in an interview with CNN Business. "While [the Covid-19 pandemic] didn't drive it, it certainly motivated me to get on with it."

His plan is to erect more of the video board drive-ins across the country -- perhaps another 10 to 15 in the next five to 10 years...."

https://www.azfamily.com/news/us_world_n...GeRXUjmxP0
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#2
C C Offline
(Aug 14, 2021 06:03 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: [...] The centerpiece of the LoCo Drive-In is a 35-by-63-foot Samsung video board, a jumbotron with the capabilities of allowing for both daytime and nighttime showings of movies, live sports and other events.

[...] His plan is to erect more of the video board drive-ins across the country -- perhaps another 10 to 15 in the next five to 10 years...."

https://www.azfamily.com/news/us_world_n...fdd1a.html

Bob Seger (Night Moves): "Tryin' to make some front page drive-in news..."


Yeah, I often wondered how B-movie horror films survived the collapse of drive-ins. I mean, the scary scenes displayed on indoor cinema screens would still be a faux excuse for teenage "togetherness". But the situation doesn't have the privacy of an automobile.

OTOH, there are those lyrics in that Alanis Morissette song:

"An older version of me, is she perverted like me?
Would she go down on you in a theatre?
"


Anyway, not sure whether the horror industry is thrilled by the comeback or not. 'Cuz looking at the number of films released over the past four decades, it doesn't appear that the great decrease of drive-in cinema was wholly respected with grief, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
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#3
Magical Realist Offline
Some of my fondest memories are going with my dad to the local drive-in to see the horror night bloodfest which included a slew of R rated dubbed B european films with all sorts of erotic imagery of scantilly clad big breasted women pursued by vampires and zombies. Only later did I realize my dad was more into the women than the monsters. No telling what effect these movies had on me and my sexuality. But it was a rare chance to bond with my dad over what seemed to me anyway a common interest.
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