{"id":988,"date":"2012-01-20T08:48:36","date_gmt":"2012-01-20T14:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=988"},"modified":"2012-01-20T08:48:36","modified_gmt":"2012-01-20T14:48:36","slug":"drive-in-cinemas-will-they-survive-the-digital-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=988","title":{"rendered":"Drive-in cinemas: Will they survive the digital age?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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At their peak, there were more than 4,000 drive-in cinemas in the US. Now only a few hundred have survived against the odds – but could the cost of converting to digital be the final straw?<\/p>\n

“I would hate to close America’s oldest drive-in movie theatre, but it’s a matter of personal choice about whether we can afford to spend that kind of money.”<\/p>\n

Shankweiler’s, in Orefield, Pennsylvania, first opened its doors in 1934 but current owners Paul and Susan Geisinger fear the 2012 season may be its last.<\/p>\n

Like many small independent cinemas across America, it could be forced out of business by the cost of converting to digital projection.<\/p>\n

Mr Geisinger is coming up to retirement age and is not keen on the idea of taking out $175,000 (\u00a3112,000) loan to pay for a digital projector and the necessary building work to house it.<\/p>\n

“It is a lot of money for a seasonal business. But we have been left with no choice. Either the conversion has to be made or it’s going to close,” says Mr Geisinger, who started working as a projectionist at Shankweiller’s in 1971, before buying the business in 1984.<\/p>\n

The big Hollywood studios are eager to eliminate the cost of manufacturing and shipping the 35mm film prints that have traditionally been the mainstay of the industry.<\/p>\n

By posting hard drives instead distributors could save hundreds of millions a year, according to some estimates – a tempting prospect for an industry under pressure from internet piracy and video games.<\/p>\n

And with more than half the cinema screens in America already converted to digital, experts believe 35mm prints could disappear altogether within two or three years.<\/p>\n

The industry says digital leads to a quicker turnover of movies, greater choice for consumers, and the promise of 3D and other special features.<\/p>\n

But hundreds of small independent cinemas, in the US and around the world, have already decided they cannot afford to buy the equipment needed, say industry sources.<\/p>\n

The death of the drive-in – if that is what is happening – is likely to be felt more keenly in the US than in a country like the UK, where the concept never really got out of first gear.<\/p>\n

A generation of Americans spent their formative years – and did their courting – at the drive-in, in an era when the car was king.<\/p>\n

At the height of their popularity, in the late 1950s, America had more drive-in movie theatres than indoor screens – more than 4,000 of them. But they declined in the 70s and 80s due to owners cashing in on high land values and the competition of video rentals.<\/p>\n

About 400 drive-ins have survived to the present day, most of which are small, family-run concerns in rural areas.
\n‘Passion pits’<\/p>\n

Fred Heise took over the Melody Drive-In Theatre, in Knox, Indiana, from his father in the early 1970s, and had hoped to hand the business on to his son, until the digital spectre reared its head.<\/p>\n

“We will probably end up doing it. It is one of those where you do it kicking and screaming,” the 64-year-old says. “One wonders if you would live long enough to completely pay it off.”<\/p>\n

Today’s drive-ins are a far cry from the so-called teenage “passion pits” of 50s legend – you are more likely to be parked next to a pair of “baby boomers” reliving their youth, or a young family enjoying a cheap night out, than a car full of rowdy or amorous teenagers.<\/p>\n

But despite the pervading air of nostalgia, the owners have tried to keep pace with technology.<\/p>\n

Patrons can now listen to the movie on their car stereos, on a special FM frequency, rather than through the primitive “sound poles” that sit next to each parking bay.<\/p>\n

Drive-ins also try to offer better value than the local multiplex. You can normally watch three or four of the latest Hollywood releases for less than $10 (\u00a36.39) in total, as well as stocking up on popcorn and hot dogs for less than you would pay in one of the major chains.<\/p>\n

“For me it’s mostly family value. Because I work so much my daughter and I don’t get to spend a lot of time together so we come here and we watch the shows,” says Michael Ravenscroft, a truck salesman, from Sykesville, Maryland.
\n‘Mesmerised’<\/p>\n

He has been visiting Bengies, Maryland’s only remaining drive-in, since he was eight.<\/p>\n

Diane Hain, an accountant from Baltimore, is possibly Bengies’ number one fan, having visited the theatre 70 times in the past year: “This place is special. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if it was gone.”<\/p>\n

Fortunately for her, Bengies owner, D Edward Vogel, is among those who plan to make the leap into digital. He is convinced the drive-in is more than just a museum piece.<\/p>\n

“Young people, who have the video games and all those fancy toys and those nice phones, they are amazed.<\/p>\n

“They come in here and they are mesmerised by this fine old antique I call the Bengies drive-in and that does warm my heart like you would not believe.”<\/p>\n

Mr Vogel, who bought Bengies from his father more than 20 years ago, is still using the same projection equipment his family installed when they opened the theatre in 1956.
\n‘Scary’ time<\/p>\n

Maintaining the two vintage projectors, and splicing film together with classic trailers to provide a continuous show for customers, are what he enjoys most about the job and although he believes digital will rob the drive-in of some of its magic, he is in no mood to throw in the towel.
\nContinue reading the main story<\/p>\n

“There is something so special about sunset to me. That moment before twilight. That even when I am not operating, I will look at that screen and my heart pines to put light up there.”<\/p>\n

Mr Vogel, who is also administrative secretary of the United Drive-In Theatre Owners association, says it is a “scary” time for many of his members.<\/p>\n

“You would think the distributors would take special care of the little guy and, truthfully, I don’t think they really care. I think they already figure the screen count’s going to go down.”<\/p>\n

Few drive-in owners will go hungry, even if they are forced to shut up shop. Many are sitting on prime real estate and should be able to look forward to a comfortable retirement.
\n‘Retiring to Florida’<\/p>\n

They are also reluctant to be seen as standing in the way of progress.<\/p>\n

“I have seen digital and it is brilliant,” says Steve Wilson, owner of the Holiday Drive-In, in Mitchell, Indiana, but he believes the distributors have pushed the technology on independent operators too quickly, before the price of the hardware has a chance to come down.<\/p>\n

And he believes that if drive-ins are allowed to die, the US will lose a little piece of its soul.<\/p>\n

“I think it is a big loss to the American people. Everywhere, you see theatres winding down and people are just aghast at what is going on, but they cannot do anything about it.”<\/p>\n

He will not be among the drive-in owners “retiring to Florida” after “selling their land to Wal-Mart”, he is quick to point out, and is currently looking for a job after deciding to get out of the cinema business.<\/p>\n

Fewer than 20 drive-in cinemas around the world have so far made the plunge into digital, according to industry experts, and probably no more than four in the US.<\/p>\n

But the industry has proved remarkably resilient over the years.<\/p>\n

Shankweiler’s, which was the second drive-in theatre to open in the US, but may well be the oldest one in the world to have stayed open continuously, even bounced back from being destroyed by a hurricane in the 1950s.<\/p>\n

It would be a shame, says Paul Geisinger, if it were to close now.<\/p>\n

“I am going to toss a coin and decide what to do,” he says. “By September 2012 we will either have converted to digital or will be packing our things into boxes and closing it down.”<\/p>\n

You get the feeling this particular big screen story may yet have a sequel.<\/p>\n