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        <title><![CDATA[Drive-in movie theaters poised for a comeback amid coronavirus crisis]]></title>
        <atom:link href="https://usagag.com/2020/04/20/drive-in-movie-theaters-poised-for-a-comeback-amid-coronavirus-crisis/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
        <link>https://usagag.com/2020/04/20/drive-in-movie-theaters-poised-for-a-comeback-amid-coronavirus-crisis/</link>
        <lastBuildDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2020 16:00:27 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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            <media:title type="html">Drive-in movie theaters poised for a comeback amid coronavirus crisis</media:title>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Drive-in movie theaters — a tiny, nearly forgotten sliver of the US cinema business — may be poised for a comeback as the coronavirus has shuttered indoor movie theaters nationwide.</p><p>The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the movie theater industry with <strong>over 40,000 screens closed in the US alone</strong> — but a small group of drive-in theaters still remain in business, and they may soon be able to offer a little relief to pent-up moviegoers, according to a report.</p><p>Last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was considering allowing drive-ins to reopen, as regular theaters stay shut amid the coronavirus lockdown.</p><p>That&#8217;s because drive-in theaters, whose popularity has steadily ebbed since it peaked in the early Sixties, would allow people the ability to watch movies projected on a large screen from the safety of their cars.</p><p>&#8220;Where is the public safety issue? It’s a drive-in theater. You’re in the car with the same people,&#8221; Cuomo said during his daily briefing on April 12.</p><p>Currently, there are about 320 drive-ins in the US, and just 25 are open for business, <strong>according to The Hollywood Reporter</strong>. In New York, at least two theaters, the Four Brothers in Amenia and the Warwick Drive-in in Warwick, have requested waivers, which would allow them to open.</p><p>According to report, the drive-in theaters that are open have seen a <strong>&#8220;steady but not spectacular&#8221; influx of ticket sales</strong>. One issue is a lack of new Hollywood movies, which is another byproduct of coronavirus restrictions. Most major studios have delayed the premier of their summer blockbusters until theaters reopen.</p><p>But the dearth of new movies may not be a major problem.</p><p>Worldwide, drive-in ticket sales are &#8220;booming,&#8221; the report said, pointing specifically to sales in Germany and South Korea where even the screening of old movies is drawing crowds.</p><p>Autokino Essen, one of only two year-round drive-in theaters in Germany, has &#8220;sold out every screening since the country went into lockdown in early March,&#8221; the report said. On April 6, the drive-in sold 500 tickets for &#8220;Manta Manta,&#8221; a German comedy that was a huge hit in 1991.</p><p>&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t matter what we show, people just want to get out and watch a movie,&#8221; Frank Peciak, manager of Autokino Essen, told The Hollywood Reporter. &#8220;We&#8217;re sold out weeks in advance.&#8221;</p><p>In Cologne, the drive-in theater there is also booked solid. Owners of that theaters are allowing just 250 cars on the 1,000-capacity lot, in order to comply with social-distancing regulations, and when tickets are scanned, they are scanned by a gloved employee through a closed window.</p><p>In order to meet demand, there is an influx of pop-up drive-ins. Events management company D.Live set up a drive-in in the parking lot of the Dusseldorf Trade Fair, and it premiered a local music biopic, &#8220;Lindenberg!&#8221; to a sold-out crowd.</p><p>Indie cinema Loe Studios constructed a makeshift theater with a 640-square-foot LED screen in an open lot behind a biker bar in Marl. On opening night on April 6, the double bill of &#8220;The Lion King&#8221; and &#8220;Parasite,&#8221; sold out in a matter of hours.</p><p>South Korea has also seen a surge in drive-in business since the country shuttered regular movie theaters in February amid COVID-19 restrictions.</p><p>At Cine 80, a 170-car theater in Daegu, at the epicenter of Korea’s coronavirus outbreak, ticket sales are up 20 percent for films such as the Judy Garland biopic &#8220;Judy&#8221; and the horror title &#8220;The Turning,&#8221; according to drive-in owner Seong-soo Kim. Meanwhile, Jayuro Drive-in, located in a Seoul suburb, saw a 30 percent sales jump.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve managed to maintain [our business] since the outbreak,&#8221; Kim said. &#8220;People feel the drive-ins are a safer option to enjoy their cultural life.&#8221;</p>]]></content:encoded>
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