@melmystery I have so many wonderful memories of going to drive-in movies with my family. My mom would put me in my PJs have a blanket and pillow in the back and we would pack sandwiches. It was a great way to grow up. I hope I get to do that with my grandchildren one day. Sounds heavenly.
i do see a return of drive in movie theaters happening a lot especially in the summer i've been seeing a lot of movies going straight to online streaming my mind keeps coming up blank about movie theaters though (like amc) it's just dark in my mind.
Jeanne, I've been thinking on this post for awhile now -- it's near and dear to my heart for a reason I'll quickly outline before getting to my point. The town I live in has a movie theater, and the chain went bankrupt. Our local community theater group (I'm on the board) put in a bid to buy it because we perform at the HS and have nowhere to call our own and while our bid was rejected, (A larger chain is operating it as a local affiliate) we're still hopeful we can get it.
I think the AMCs and Regals of the world might not make it out of this in the same front. We've done three "at home premiere's" since the pandemic began -- Onward, Trolls, and Mulan, all for my daughters. The ability to see the movie on our couch with our own popcorn and snacks was exponentially cheaper than the $100 we would have dropped as a family of four to see these in the theater.
BUT -- Don't get me wrong -- there is nothing like the theatrical experience for some of those big budget movies. Marvel movies. Something like Interstellar (One of my absolute favorite movies of all time -- if you haven't seen it, invest the 3 hours and have a box of tissues handy -- it's a story about space, but really it's a story of a father's love for his children!) demands that theatrical experience.
Drive ins: A resurgence and re-emergence of Drive In's would be a win-win for everyone. It's a callback to older, simpler times. We're lucky to have one about 45 minutes from where I live and we go at least twice a summer.
Smaller chains: This is why I put my slightly unrelated opening paragraph in this post. Our community theater plans were to reconvert the "big auditorium" back to what it housed in the 20s (that's still there) by investing in a replaceable screen. There's a stage behind the existing one and that's what we would perform on, but big movies could still be shown in our off periods. We'd convert one of the other three auditoriums into a build and costume space, keeping two for both rehearsals and movies. The plan was to show second run movies, and the occasional blockbuster as they came out as we're still a lot easier than driving to the nearest big city (about 45 minutes away).
I think you're spot on on the local theaters making a comeback -- but there's a lot standing in their way. Movies cost a ton to produce (Don't get me started on actors pay - let's be reasonable here! Tom Hanks is a gem, but 40 Million per movie plus residuals?) And the corporate cinema chains were able to put the locals almost entirely out of business by being the ones willing and able to pay the price. (It's also why you pay extreme prices at the concession stands - they make zero dollars off ticket sales, and often end in the red when a movie underperforms)
I worked for a midwest based chain (the same one that went out of business) in College as a manager. We were 40 minutes from corporate offices so we saw the CEO more often than any of the others combined. He would rail (This was in 2001) about how people were willing to pay $20 for a CD, so they should be willing to pay at least that much for a movie going experience as well loudly and publicly. You keep the CD. You don't keep the movie! And that was 19 years ago!
A mix would be great - lets get Drive In's back. Lets go back to that local theater. And for heavens sakes, sell the concessions all day every day whether you're open or not, because that popcorn has GOT to be laced with something addictive :P.
I think I had a point here somewhere. Maybe it's: I agree with you Jeanne, but I think the industry is transforming -- hopefully for the better.
We have a family owned theatre chain here in Arizona that is state wide and has expanded I think to many southwest states. For a number of months on weekends when Covid began, they would sell their popcorn for take home. You would pull up your car and pick up your ( usually pre-paid) popcorn and watch a movie at home. It was a way for them to generate some income and a way for you to support them.
They have now begun to offer private movie screening parties for 20 people. I like that idea. If I could gather up 20 people I knew who would actually wear masks in the theatre and a big movie were playing, I might consider it. Once our covid numbers were down. Which may be a long time from now at this rate. I think in the meantime, they should convert their large parking lots to temporary drive in theaters.