The coronavirus has been a pox upon nearly the entire entertainment industry. But there is one pocket of the business that is undergoing a revival, even a reincarnation: the drive-in. Fueled by the need to socially distance and the collective nostalgia for happier times, the comfort food of show business is providing a much-welcome way to consume live entertainment.
They haven’t been big moneymakers in recent years, yet they still have an audience, and at a time when few people can patronize traditional indoor theaters, they are serving a useful function by providing a communal experience that people crave right now. Accordingly, many in-door theater are converting their parking lots to drive-ins.
But this shouldn’t be just a move of desperation: The drive-in has many reasons to recommend itself, pandemic or not. People have space to spread out and aren’t on top of one another, and thanks to FM and Bluetooth transmission, they could easily have stereo sound sent into their car speakers. It also really lends itself to dates (wink-wink), which was a big draw for young people back in the day. And many of the big screens tower over cineplexes with smaller, chopped-up spaces. High-quality HD movies will look fantastic projected on giant screens.
Analysis:
The pandemic has forced people out of movie theaters because of sanitary cautions and safety concerns, but the needs for entertainment does not fade away with staying-at-home orders, therefore, drive-in theaters revive during the pandemic and many people choose to spend their time there. It is not a new trend, drive-in theaters have existed for decades but it just did not get much attention from the market. Since it allows people to stay in the car while watching movies, it offers both live performance entertainment and private spaces.
