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| Above, the long-gone Van Nuys Drive-In, where I saw Godzilla 1985. |
The last movie I saw at a drive-in movie theater was The Beverly Hillbillies at the Winnetka Drive-In in Chatsworth, California back in 1993.
Since then, that drive-in and many others in California and in other states closed up for good, allegedly due to high property values. The last drive-in theater in Gallup, New Mexico closed up years before I moved to the state.
The current coronavirus is making people take a second look at the drive-in theater.
Hagerty Drivers Club posted:
A nostalgic staple of 1950s–60s America might provide a valuable escape from the current stay-at-home situation if U.S. officials allow it.
Drive-in theaters, once a common form of entertainment here and abroad—mostly in rural areas—are already experiencing a resurgence in some areas of Europe and Asia as people look for safe distractions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal guidelines do not specifically mention drive-in theaters, but state governments may choose to allow them to open since they are functionally so different from typical movie theaters. Drive-in movie-goers can easily maintain a safe distance from others outside of their own vehicle.To read more, go here.
