The Route 66 Drive-In theater in Springfield, Illinois, that was closed for several weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic will reopen Friday and possibly more nights the following week.
The theater posted some of the details on its Facebook page Sunday:
Tickets will have to be presold and will be done through our website. My capacity will be half as have to park every other spot. Concessions will be done through app called FanFood and then will pick up at pick up window. I recommend downloading the app before you arrive. It will be going live this week for you to take a tour. We will be showing a single feature rather than double to keep rest room use down. Playground will be closed. Guests need to stay in there vehicle and park facing forward. No hatches will be allowed up.
Several media outlets have reported that drive-in theaters may make a nice profit this summer while regular theaters remain closed because of the virus and potential customers wary of catching it even if they reopen. Drive-ins give people plenty of social-distancing space for those who want it.
According to Cinema Treasures, the Route 66 Drive-In opened March 8, 1974, originally as the Green Meadows Drive-In. It closed in 1980 and sat until Doug Knight revived it and christened it with its current name in the late 1990s.
It sits on Springfield’s south side a short distance from Old Chatham Road, an original alignment of Route 66.
(Image of the main marquee of the Route 66 Drive-In in Springfield, Illinois, via Facebook)
Woot woot!
It’s nice the Route 66 Theater in Illinois will have a measured opening with one feature film, parking in every other car slot, concessions through an app – but it’s better than being closed. Hopefully, other drive-in movie theaters will follow suit. Cheers from Route 66 in Oklahoma!