More On: Coronavirus
Joe Biden Tests Positive for Wuhan Coronavirus Again
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers Fined for Violating COVID-19 Protocols
Shailene Woodley Defends Aaron Amid Rumored COVID-19 Quarantine Outings
Howard Stern: Aaron Rodgers Should Be Fired for 'Bulls--t' Vaccine Comments
Emilio Estevez Denies Being Anti-Vax After Exiting 'Mighty Ducks' Series
As businesses nationwide struggle to survive amid the growing coronavirus pandemic, drive-in theaters in Florida are thriving. At the Ocala Drive-In, owner John Watzke said moviegoers are packing the lots in front of his two 90-foot screens as if every weeknight has become a Friday or Saturday evening. “For this time of year, business is …
As businesses nationwide struggle to survive amid the growing coronavirus pandemic, drive-in theaters in Florida are thriving.
At the Ocala Drive-In, owner John Watzke said moviegoers are packing the lots in front of his two 90-foot screens as if every weeknight has become a Friday or Saturday evening.
“For this time of year, business is over double what it normally is,” Watzke told The Post Friday. “Right now, almost every night is the equivalent of a weekend here. We’ve had a very large increase in attendance because it’s such a safe place to go.”
Cars at the drive-in are now placed up to 12 feet apart to assuage any coronavirus concerns — up to six times the distance they were previously spaced out, Watzke said.
“When you park your vehicle, you definitely have that social distance,” he said. “And people can pick up concessions at a window or they can order online.”
Watzke attributed the uptick in business to providing customers a chance to break up the monotony of being isolated inside their homes as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread throughout the country.
“People can come to the drive-in, you sit in there with your family and your vehicle becomes an extension of your living room,” Watzke told The Post. “So if you can sit in the house all day with them, why can’t you sit in a car and watch a movie with them?”
Prices at the drive-in — where showings Friday include “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Bloodshot” — remain unchanged despite the surge in ticket sales. Adults are still $6, children are $3 and anyone 5 or under is free, Watzke said.
Other drive-in theaters throughout Florida are also finding ways to navigate their new business realities, including at Chip Sawyer’s Silver Moon Drive-In in Lakeland and Joy-Lan Drive-In in Dade City, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Sawyer has resorted to showing classics from the ’70s and ’80s like “Back to the Future,” “Jaws” and “The Breakfast Club” as new Hollywood releases are delayed but demand is up.
Epic Theatres, a local chain that runs several locations throughout Central Florida, is also adapting by showing movies on an outdoor screen at its Deltona location, the Sentinel reports.
As of Friday, 35 Florida residents have died from coronavirus and 2,900 people have been diagnosed with the illness, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.
