Data indicates surge of business at drive-in theaters may persist

Many drive-in theaters did a booming business during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly because it was the only safe or open entertainment venue for people to watch movies and, in some cases, go to concerts.

According to a story from CNN Business, the good times for the drive-ins may not be over:

Last year, from late March through mid-August, drive-ins generated 85% of North American box office revenue (and some weeks contributed north of 95%), according to Comscore data provided to CNN Business. During that same period in 2019, drive-ins accounted for just 2.9% of box office revenue.
And although films and people have started to return to brick-and-mortar cinemas (albeit at far lower levels than before), drive-ins are showing that they have staying power. Through the first 30 weeks of 2021, they’re still gobbling up a greater share of box office revenue than they did pre-pandemic: averaging 6.2% of weekend box office dollars this year versus nearly 1.9% for the first 30 weeks of 2019, Comscore data show.
“Naturally, the attributes of the multiplex did not work well within the confines of the pandemic, but consumers hungry to get out of the house found the drive-in to be the perfect solution to a question that no one had even thought to ask just a year before,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, which tracks global box office data.
“The old-fashioned and often marginalized drive-in theater must now be recognized as one of the saviors of the (cinema) industry,” he said.

The number of drive-ins in the United States once totaled 4,000 during the late 1950s. That had declined to just north of 300 by 2019. That included about a half-dozen along or near Route 66.

Nick Hensgen, the owner of driveinmovie.com, reported that 10 drive-ins opened in the U.S. last year and nine more this year.

The article mentions the TeePee Drive-In in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, which is being renovated and is scheduled to reopen in spring 2022 after being shuttered for more than 20 years.

I also can recall new drive-ins opening in Tijeras, New Mexico — along Route 66, natch — and Chaffee, Missouri, in the past year or so.

In addition, Route 66 stalwarts such as the 66 Drive-In in Carthage, Missouri, and the Admiral Twin Drive-In in Tulsa not only booked movies but concerts, church services, and even immigration naturalization services.

The staying power of drive-ins so far probably can be attributed to people and families who gone to one in 2020, liked the experience, and kept returning. It shows that savvy operators can attract new clientele and keep them if they keep offering a good experience.

(Image of the Admiral Twin Drive-In in Tulsa at dusk)