‘Blast from the past’: Some drive-in movie theaters are making a comeback amid coronavirus – CNBC
Only 5% to 10% of drive-ins across the U.S. are able to operate through the coronavirus, but they are seeing new business.
Joe Sohm | Visions of America | Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The coronavirus pandemic has led to the closures of movie theaters across the country and the delay of coveted 2020 blockbusters like Disney and Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" and MGM's James Bond film "No Time To Die."
But that does not mean going to the movies is out of the question.
Drive-in theaters throughout the U.S. have not only remained open, but have seen spikes in revenue as consumers desperately look for ways to escape their houses while abiding by the rules of social distancing.
Andrew Thomas, for example, owner of the Showboat Drive-In Theater in Hockley, Texas, saw a 40% increase in sales revenue two weeks ago, and a 95% increase this past week, just by showing the same two movies: Disney and Pixar's "Onward," and the Universal Pictures horror film "The Invisible Man."
"Everyone is looking for a way to feel normal and this is a way of being safe," Thomas said. "I spend all day answering emails from people who never heard of us before, because they are trying to find something to do."
Drive-ins are also allowing other companies to be "reborn" as well.
Darrell Landers, founder and CTO of Ultimate Outdoors Entertainment, an outdoor movie-screen rentals company, told CNBC that his company has lost a substantial amount of revenue since the coronavirus led to mass public closings. Landers' company survives off of bringing large groups of people together to watch movies outdoors.
But UOE has since refocused on its mobile drive-in theater business, which has been intact for 12 years, utilizing its LED screens to allow movies to be watched at all times of the day.
"Showing movies during the day outside is a new concept, and we are using the LED screens to test-drive movies at other times than just at night," Landers said. "So the drive-in is sort of a rebirth and a way for us to replace some of the income that we lost."
And now business is booming.
Kat Randolph, UOE's director of sales and marketing, believes they will see an incline in business, as they have already received dozens of inquiries from consumers, including requests from Los Angeles entertainment companies that are looking to give back to local communities.
"People want to be a part of the theater experience in any shape or form," Randolph emphasized.
Only 5% to 10% of drive-ins throughout the U.S. are actually benefiting from the coronavirus, stressed Jim Kopp, the administrative secretary for the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, and owner of the Family Drive-In, in Virginia.
New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and Maryland, which collectively makes up 89 of the 305 US drive-ins, have been forced to shut down due to the coronavirus.
"We would all love to be open," Kopp said to CNBC. "We know a lot of folks want a safe environment to see movies and to experience entertainment as a family."
And John Vincent, president of the UDITOA and majority owner of the Wellfleet Drive-In, in Massachusetts, said that "we need a stimulus package to get us through this," referring to the requests made by the National Association of Theater Owners,in which they are seeking a bailout to keep theater owners afloat.
"Like the indoor theaters, we survive off concessions. The ones open will take what they can get," Vincent added. "We look forward to the industry recovering as a whole, because we can only do so much without studios releasing big movies."
But according to Thomas, the Showboat Drive-In Theater owner in Texas, even with the inevitable return of movie theaters across the nation, consumers will not immediately feel safe returning to auditoriums in such big masses, which makes drive-ins a much more viable option.
"Because people will have fears of gathering in public, the viability of the drive-in business will grow," Thomas claimed.
Some drive-in movie theaters in the U.S., as well as in Europe, are seeing new business as a result of the coronavirus shuttering big cinema chains and delaying Hollywood new releases.
Picture Alliance | Getty Images
With movie theaters possibly staying shuttered for a majority of the summer, Thomas is asking big studios to consider releasing their coveted summer blockbusters with drive-in theaters.
"People will come because they want that sense of normalcy," he said.
Besides "Black Widow" and "No Time To Die," Paramount Pictures delayed the release of "A Quiet Place Part Two," the anticipated sequel to John Krasinski's 2018 horror film that grossed more than $340 million worldwide. Universal pushed back the ninth installment of The Fast & Furious franchise, "F9," until April 2021; its 2017 predecessor, "The Fate of the Furious," grossed over $1 billion worldwide. And Warner Bros. announced Tuesday that "Wonder Woman:1984" will not be released until August; it was supposed to debut in June.
The coronavirus has brought a lot of uncertainty to the global economy, and the future of the movie business is unknown at the moment. But one certainty remains: "The desire for people to somehow recapture the singular, irreplicable, communal big-screen movie theater experience in any way they can is a testament to how important the moviegoing experience is," said senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Comscore. "Particularly during these obviously trying and unprecedented times."
Disclosure: Universal Pictures, owner of the Fast and Furious franchise, is owned by Comcast, CNBC's parent company.
More here:
'Blast from the past': Some drive-in movie theaters are making a comeback amid coronavirus - CNBC
- Adolescence creator says social media firms have 'found a way to market misogyny' to boys and laws to protect - Daily Mail - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- How does your brands social media performance really stack up? - Marketing Tech News - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Tombras wins Arbys social media account as creative review continues - Ad Age - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Threads Ads Expand to All Meta Advertisers - Social Media Today - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Nearly half of teens say social media is bad for youth mental health, report finds - CNN - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Meta's Threads Begins Global Ad Rollout Within Its Feed - Adweek - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Unilevers CEO tells marketers to focus on the 4Vs of social media - Marketing Week - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- How marketers are adjusting their budgets in response to the economyincluding reducing agency expenses - Ad Age - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Social Media Analytics Market Future Scope 2025-2032: Adoption Trends and Key Technologies - openPR.com - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Luxury Shopping Goes Social: 27% of Shoppers Buy Through Influencers on TikTok and Instagram - Influencer Marketing Hub - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Why the NFL hired a fashion editorand other moves from its social media playbook - Ad Age - April 23rd, 2025 [April 23rd, 2025]
- Email marketing vs. social media: Which one works best in 2025? - London Daily News - April 23rd, 2025 [April 23rd, 2025]
- Youth need the truth about illegal nicotine pouches - Griffith University - April 23rd, 2025 [April 23rd, 2025]
- Trump offers buy tip on social media hours before tariff pause that made stocks soar - AP News - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Three AI-generated images posted on social media show examples of the AI action doll trend. On the left is a LinkedIn image posted by the Chartered... - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Social media rebrands: The failure - X, the insipid - Meta and the success - Instagram - Bizcommunity - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- How creators use automation tools to deliver authentic, monetizable content - Digiday - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- USCIS to Consider Antisemitic Activity When Reviewing Immigration Applications - Boundless Immigration - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- How to Market Your Business on Social Media: 7 Effective Ways - Breaking AC - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Social Securitys announcements are leaving its website and moving to X: reports - MarketWatch - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Feeling FOMO for something thats not even fun? Its not the event youre missing, its the bonding - The Conversation - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- 11 ways to use AI in social media (not just for content creation) - Hootsuite - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Trump on Tariffs: Relax, Im Purposely Crashing the Market - New York Magazine - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- AI in Social Media Market Status, Growth, and Trends Insights | Scope By 2032 - openPR.com - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Study: 70% of performance marketers testing new ad formats amid diminishing returns on social - Marketing-Interactive - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- The Best Time to Post in 2025, Based on 30K Brands and Creators - Social Media Today - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- META, PINS, or SNAP: Which Social Media Stock Can Withstand a Market Correction? - TipRanks - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- xAI Acquires X in a Deal That Secures the Apps Immediate Future - Social Media Today - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Consumer experience on social media can affect ad performance, says research - marketing-beat.co.uk - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Business tips: How to use social media to your advantage (and why it works) | OPINION - Cape Cod Times - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- How to Use Disruptive Storytelling to Thrive as a Marketer - Social Media Examiner - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- JCPenney embraces social-first marketing with VaynerMedia hire - Marketing Dive - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Will Instagram Be the Most Important Social Marketing Channel in 2020? - Spiceworks News and Insights - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- 10 Best Social Media Marketing Books to Read in 2020 - Spiceworks News and Insights - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- TikTok Outlines Updates To In-Stream Shopping Ads and Options - Social Media Today - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- YouTube Shorts Added to Google: The Rise in Social Search Is Changing Influencer Marketing - Hello Partner - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Metas Instagram Announces New AI-Powered Tools, Creator Marketing Solutions - Adweek - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Why your business needs a social media marketing agency to thrive online - Arizona Big Media - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Social media suggests seed oils like canola are bad for you. More science is saying otherwise - CBC News - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Pinterest Shares Coachella Fashion Trends Based on Pin Searches - Social Media Today - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Digiday+ Research Briefing: A look at the state of social marketing as the TikTok ban draws near - Digiday - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- Social Media Using You For Marketing Test Without Consent? Shocking Revelation Made By New Study - NDTV - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- Trump makes flurry of posts as global markets fall amid fears of US recession - The Guardian US - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- I want to be the anti-Steven Bartlett: Is this social medias secret svengali? - The Drum - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- How SMM panels are reshaping the industry: The future of social media marketing - London Daily News - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- Indian Women's Wear Market Growth Fueled by Social Media Influence and Celebrity Endorsements - openPR - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- AI, advertising and authenticity: The battle over social media bots - Marketing Tech - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Is This the Beginning of the End of Big Social Media? - CMSWire - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Reaching Gen Z in unexpected placeshow brands can win their attention - Ad Age - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Tech giants oppose YouTube's exemption from Australia's social media ban for children - Storyboard18 - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- TikTok Sets Deadline for the Switch to Its Creative Suite - Social Media Today - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Later Announces Partnership with Snap Inc. Delivering the Industry's Most Comprehensive Integration for Social and Influencer Marketing - PR Newswire - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Safety Jevon Holland thinks Dolphins' social media indicates they've 'kind of moved on' - NFL.com - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- How TikTok Users Respond to Music in Brand Promotions - Social Media Today - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- Cyber Social Media Marketing Unveils Major Platform Upgrade with Advanced AI Algorithms and Tools to Deliver Greater Value for Global Users - Macau... - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- New research unveils the "dark side" of social media influencers and their impact on marketing and consumer behaviour - University of... - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- There's a Creative Revolution at the Heart of #HillmanTok - Adweek - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- What Lush learned from three years of being mostly offline - Marketing Brew - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- The 'dark side' of social media influencers and their impact on marketing and consumer behavior - Phys.org - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Digiday+ Research: Facebook and Instagram volley for dominance in brand marketing on Meta - Digiday - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Call for regulation to protect people with substance use disorder from exploitative marketing practices on social media - Medical Xpress - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- UK Universities are reluctant to break a toxic social media relationship - LSE - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Global Trends in Social Media Marketing: How Instagram Leads the Way - World Business Outlook - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Snapchat Highlights the Value of AR in Driving Audience Connection - Social Media Today - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- The brands making the biggest splash on social media, from Spotify and Netflix to fast-growing Fenty Hair - Business Insider - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Gen Z job seekers are turning to social media to find employment. Expert tips on making it work for you - Fortune - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Assessing the Winners of the Super Bowl Ad Blitz [Infographic] - Social Media Today - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- TikTok Launches Updated Automotive Ad Options - Social Media Today - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- TikTok Launches Automotive Ads Even as Its Future In the US Remains Uncertain - Adweek - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Social Media: An Irreplaceable Marketing Tool - BW Marketing World - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- The Future Of Social Media Marketing Is Real, Raw & AI-powered - BW Marketing World - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- AI Is Transforming the Workplace Including Social Media Marketing. Here's How Businesses Can Actually Use It. - Entrepreneur - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- How to Build a Marketing Strategy That Doesnt Depend on Social Media - SUCCESS Magazine - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Houston ISD board votes 9-0 in favor of seeking legal action against social media platforms - ABC13 Houston - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Beyond Likes and Shares How to Leverage Influencer Partnerships in the New Era of Social Media - Entrepreneur - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Trump Media says it lost more than $400 million last year while revenue dropped 12% - CBS News - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Targets DEI retreat: Inclusivity was never more than a marketing stunt - MarTech - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Merchantwise expands with social and influencer marketing acquisition - Marketing Interactive - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- BuzzFeed to launch new social media platform in beta this year - Performance Marketing World - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Could long form writing be a secret to business success? - Stuff - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]