A Night at the Drive-In
Covid-19 just about ruined most things for us, but there’s one industry that’s booming; Drive-In Movie Theaters.
Drive-In theaters used to be huge in the 1950s and 1960s, as exemplified in Grease when John Travolta sings the infamous Stranded at the Drive-In.
They were still popular going into the late 1900s, but with the introduction of higher quality films in movie theaters and upgraded moviegoer experiences, drive-ins started to fizzle out.
I’m old fashioned, unlike most people my age, and grew up going to the drive-ins. Don’t get me wrong, I still went to the movie theaters every week, but there was always something extra special about spending a warm summer night at the drive-ins.
Piling into the backseat of my mom’s minivan or my dad’s Dodge Ram or Nissan Xterra with my sister was a Summer classic. We’d load up the car with snacks, blankets, pillows, and our lawn chairs to use for outdoor seating next to our parked car. For some reason, there would always be a random vendor making their way through the aisles of car selling the neon glowsticks and glittery light-up balloons you’d usually only find at an amusement park. I never got one because I always got the same exact glowsticks for $1 at the Dollar Tree the afternoon before the movie.
As a kid, my favorite part about going to the drive-ins was that I got to watch TWO movies outside while being extra comfy.
I also loved the fact that I could NEVER stay awake for the duration of the second movie, and I would fall asleep in the back of the car and miraculously wake up in my bed the next morning. Of course, my parent’s favorite part was that it only cost about $15 bucks for the entire family to view two movies. This is something I can truly appreciate now as a semi-frugal adult.
I sort of stopped going to the drive-ins as I got older just because I got sucked into the allure of these fancy, schmancy movie theaters with seat recliners and at-your-seat food service options. But, movie theaters have been closed since March and AMCs have only just begun to reopen this past weekend (which I have NO INTENTIONS OF GOING TO BECAUSE WE ARE STILL IN A PANDEMIC).
So, where does that leave us, movie lovers? Well, with an open calendar of course!
Some production companies have turned to online streaming platforms to release their movies as VOD (Video On Demand), while others have pushed their movie releases back by months and even years. Many of the movies that were supposed to come out in the Spring have been pushed back to this coming Fall, like Candyman and Black Widow, but others have been delayed all the way until Winter and Spring of 2020 like Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway and F9.
On the other hand, some movies were smart and made themselves available to stream for a fee AND allowed them to be shown at drive-in theaters!
This Summer has been the resurgence of the drive-in movie experience! More and more people have been going for solo movie nights, date nights, and family outings. Not only is a trip to the drive-in a great way to break the monotony of quarantine by getting out of the house, but it’s a great way to see the movies you’ve been wanting to see on the big screen, in a COVID-friendly environment (for the most part).
So far during this pandemic, I’ve seen seven movies at three different drive-in theaters here in Los Angeles / Southern California. Let me tell you about my experiences at each one.
Mission Tiki Drive-In Theater – Montclair, California
This was my first pandemic drive-in experience and I went to see the premiere of Trolls World Tour. It was April 11, 2020, so the Pandemic was still pretty fresh and the regulations everywhere were super strict. You might remember this as the time where you couldn’t find a single roll of toilet paper or a carton of eggs anywhere. But back to the drive-in. At the time, Mission Tiki was the only drive-in to be open in a 40-mile radius of Los Angeles while also having a snack bar open. Since it was newly re-opened, the line to get in was short and we had no issues getting a prime parking spot. When we purchased our ticket, we were also given the speech about wearing our mask, being socially distant while visiting the bathrooms and snack bars, and a reminder to stay in your vehicle at all other times. This first experience went off without a hitch and everyone respected the COVID-guidelines. It was a very pleasant experience! Unfortunately, by the time we had returned to Mission Tiki in May, word had spread and we had to wait in a line about an hour and we missed the first half of our first movie! That was a bummer, but we were much more prepared the third time around.
Borderline Millennials Tip: If you plan on visiting Mission Tiki Drive-In Theater on a weekend day, plan to arrive at least an hour and a half before your movie, or maybe even two hours because there WILL be a line to get in! Also, to avoid waiting in super long snack bar lines, pick up takeout on your way and eat your dinner in the car while you’re waiting for the movie to begin.
Vineland Drive-In – City of Industry, California
I’ve gone to this drive-in twice now and I can tell you that I will not be going back for a while. Both times I went were for ArcLight Presents feature films, which were actually really awesome and super unique movie experiences. The first viewing was an early exclusive premiere of The Rental written and directed by Dave Franco. Dave, along with all of his co-stars, was actually at the drive-in to watch and do a special live Q&A after the movie via Zoom that was projected on the screens. This was really cool and I felt great being apart of an event that was the first of its kind!
This first experience was really great! We received a custom ticket and an envelope with the rules and guidelines, and we even received a big container of special ArcLight popcorn and caramel corn. Everyone was in their cars and paying respect to the mandated cars-width distance parking format and I felt great leaving the show.
So great, that I bought tickets to come back again for the ArcLight premiere of The Tax Collector with Shia LeBeouf in a similar format with the Q&A. Unfortunately, this experience was actually pretty bad. It’s like the hosts of this event just stopped caring and so did the attendees. We didn’t get a special ticket or popcorn, people were parking super close to each other and were congregating outside their cars without wearing masks during the entire movie.
For lack of better words, it was a shit show. I felt super uncomfortable to the point where we thought about leaving. But, we paid about $50 to be there so we were as cautious as possible and sat through the movie.
Borderline Millennials Tip: Despite this being a special and unique drive-in experience, I can’t say that I would recommend anyone go to this drive-in because it just isn’t the safest and most COVID-friendly.
Tribeca Films Drive-In at the Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California
Hands down, this was the BEST drive-ins experiencer EVER! I wish it wasn’t a July-only pop-up! I loved everything about my two times visiting the Tribeca Films Drive-In at the Rose Bowl! This felt like the most well-thought-out setup and they deserve all of the praise. Everything about this was high-tech, modern, and super COVID-friendly. There were cones to divide the parking lanes, staff members guiding cars exactly where to park so that no one was too close to anyone else, and then another few staff members riding bikes with safety vests on during the movie to ensure that people stayed in their vehicles and were wearing their masks if they were out to get snacks.
Speaking of snacks, they had a minimal touch snack bar! You could access all of the eatery options through your phone with the provided WiFi, place your order, and receive a text once your order was done so you could spend as little time outside of your car as possible.
I felt so incredibly safe and secure here! The most comfortable I’ve ever felt at a drive-in during this pandemic!
Borderline Millennials Tip: The Rose Bowl just announced that they have partnered with 20th Century Fox to bring New Mutants to the drive-in experience. I would highly recommend checking them out, but get your ticket early because they sell out fast! You can purchase them by clicking here.
All in all…
Going to drive-ins is a fantastic way to spend a pandemic evening. But remember to go and enjoy with caution. Please practice social distancing and wear your masks if you’re ever outside of your vehicle. Don’t be selfish and ruin the experience for those around you and contribute to the population of people who are worsening this pandemic day by day. Be safe and enjoy your night at the drive-ins.
For a list of more drive-in movie theaters in Southern California, click here!