We are living in the most interesting times. I personally think we were all moving a bit too fast. I was looking out in my backyard this week, taking joy in the growth of my tomato plants and realizing that there are some things in this pandemic that have an upside. The ability to reflect more and breathe (even if it’s through a mask) is something that I think as a society has become more necessary. We are walking more, talking more, and getting off the treadmill.

I love movies; it is a deep passion. I love classic movie theaters. I love their feel, the sense of community that they evoke, and the history of sitting in the dark with your friends and neighbors while being entertained. Communities across the globe are re-inventing the movie-going experience. Movie-going is woven into the psyche as a species. Telling stories in the dark is part of our DNA.

A couple of years back, the deep as a dime prognosticator had been predicting the demise of the drive-in. What a difference a pandemic can make. Like mushrooms after a rain shower, drive-ins are popping up everywhere. Drive-ins are emerging at minor league ballparks, country fairgrounds, shopping malls, and waterparks. From 400 drive-ins, I am predicting that by the end of August we will see the rise of 1550 plus drive-ins across the USA and more around the world. Outdoor pop-ups are also taking hold with shows being held on the top floors of parking garages and on rooftops.

With the news this week that there is a new surge in coronavirus, people are being very cautious in coming back to the indoor theater. The consensus seems to be evolving that too many people are taking chances with their health and they no longer think it is a safe environment. Here is one consumer’s take on the state of movie-going, “You can keep to yourself at the drive-in. People want to get out and do stuff, but there are still too many people that are taking too many chances. I’d rather be out under the stars watching a movie like the good ol’ days.”

What is fascinating is the term “good ol’days”. The thirst and longing for days past is being satisfied by the revival of the drive-in movie experience. Consumers are abandoning both glitzy overstuffed movie theaters and new releases in favor of the front seat of their car and classic titles. Drive-in theaters whether new build or established are reporting sold-out audiences.

The much loved Yankee Stadium seems to be re-purposing itself as a drive-in theater this summer, as does the Ontario California Airport. There is an inherent need within our culture for movie going and all forms of venues are rising to meet the challenge.

Let’s face it…..drive-ins are truly saving the tradition of movie-going. Drive-ins are popping up all across Europe. Germany is seeing the re-invention of its traditional autokino. Since the beginning of March, 123 frequencies had been allocated across the country to drive-in audio on the FM band. A proposed 80 new venues are getting ready to be implemented. The Cinedrive opened on April 16 in the town of Mönchengladbach. In Berlin, an autokino opened Neukölln district, in the parking lot of the Estrel Hotel on the famous Sonnenallee, and has been screening movies since the end of April. The largest autokino in Germany located in Essen has a capacity of 1,000 parking spaces.

In France, independent distributor Mathieu Robinet has implemented the Drive-In Festival with a tour of popup screenings across France. There is a 300 car capacity. Today in Europe, drive-ins are experiencing a tremendous boom. In 30 days in Europe as a whole, the number of drive-in theaters has doubled.

If I was a major circuit, I would be getting worried. The audience is shifting, the patterns of movie-going have firmly shifted. The world has changed very quickly. The industry as a whole has encountered a perfect storm. The rise of day and date, a pandemic, the devolving of the movie studio, and a fundamental lack of leadership. It is a fundamental truth that the movie industry is today a much different one.

I for one have seen its demise since the focus was moved from the great downtown theater to the multiplex. I have been to Cinemacom and saw the interest moved away from movies to stadium seating and overstuffed chairs. I have witnessed the rise of the chicken tender and the demise of showmanship. I have, as a young man, sat in a projection booth, smelled the ozone when the arcs were struck, heard the bell of a changeover, and saw the mastery of the projectionist. A smoked filled ballet when deep acetate prints spun through the projector. The projectionists were displaced by the platter system. Ushers disappeared and the experience diminished.

Adam Aron after having given the industry a coronary announced this week AMC would be soon re-opening.

Moviegoing has shown itself to be enduring and deeply resident in the hearts of moviegoers worldwide. When a bright light flickers on a white screen, bugs dance in the path of luminance and we sit in our darkened cars and our collective hearts whisper…tell me a story.

And then the movie starts…

Long live movie-going and long live the drive-in.