One silver lining to the coronavirus crisis is the comeback of drive-in movie theaters — an all-American classic that’s selling out to those desperate for a night out.
“We are providing good memories, and how many of those have been produced in Massachusetts, or in the U.S., over the last 60 or 90 days?” said Michael Andelman, co-owner of the Mendon Twin Drive-In.
Andelman and his brothers operate the old-school drive-in, which has sold out double features on both of its screens every night since the governor allowed them to open for operation Sunday. Shows through the weekend have already sold out, as well.
Their movie lots are one place where a summer night feels close to normal, even with patrons walking around in face masks. Families of four wait at the dairy shack for ice cream cones and a couple holds hands, walking to the socially-distanced concession stand as the sun sets behind the large movie screen.
“We just needed a date night outside of our kitchen table,” said Amanda Vito, who drove up from Canton with her boyfriend to catch a double feature Tuesday.
The Mendon drive-in is taking extra precautions to operate during the pandemic, including limiting entry to 300 cars per night. Andelman said the lots can hold three times that number, but he wants to keep vehicles parked at least 12 feet apart. Customers must wear masks outside their vehicles, and there’s no outdoor dining.
As charming as the Andelmans’ drive-in is, it’s also the only destination for moviegoers in the entire state right now. Movie theaters are shuttered until at least July, and the three other drive-ins in the commonwealth — in Leicester, Northfield and Wellfleet — are all still prepping to safely welcome customers. Operators of the Northfield drive-in hope to reopen by the second week of June, and Leicester’s triple drive-in is slated to reopen June 19.
The Showcase Cinemas de Lux at Patriot Place will transform empty stadium parking lots into a pop-up drive-in of its own every Saturday night through June. The first showing this weekend, Raiders of the Lost Ark, sold out almost immediately.
Ironically, the theater’s sister location in Revere started as a drive-in before converting to a multiplex in 1982.
“It’s part of our DNA, and it’s interesting that people want to come back to this experience to start that first step back towards movie-going. People want to go back to the movies,” said Mark Malinowski of Showcase Cinema’s parent company, National Amusements.
“We wanted to figure out a way to do something to bring the community back down here,” said Patriot Place General Manager and Vice President Brian Earley.
Malinowski and Earley were mum on whether they plan to expand the number of screens and movie times at the pop-up drive-in as the summer rolls on.
All ticket proceeds from the showings will go to the Foxboro Food Pantry. Moviegoers can pre-order concessions for curbside pickup.
