I remember when I was a kid I used to go to the drive-in with my family all of the time. Being from a relatively large family, going out to see a movie could be a really expensive event. Between the tickets, the concessions and the parking, it was a real treat when the whole family would go see a show. Instead my parents opted to go see a lot of drive-in flicks. I can’t remember how much cheaper it was, but I remember that we would get dinner and bring it into the films and then watch double features after it got dark.
Over time, the cineplex began to give ground to the multi-plex and as soon as theater owners realized the efficiencies of having multiple screens, the drive-in began it’s death spiral. Maybe it was the rising land prices or a change in consumer habits, but I remember when my hometown got rid of the last drive-in, it was a really sad day for me. I had developed such fond memories of talking through films and listening to the movie through the low FM frequencies that I knew it was an experience that wouldn’t be easily replicated and wouldn’t be replaced in my lifetime.
I’m not sure why Canadians haven’t completely abandoned the drive-in, like they have in California . Maybe with all of the land that they have, trying to build compact theaters isn’t as necessary or maybe the culture is just different and they appreciate it more, but I thought it was interesting to see that while the theaters in the US have been struggling over the last few years, the drive-in’s in Canada have been booming.
According to Variety, the drive-in theater in Canada reversed an 8 year slide and posted an impressive 20% gain in the number of people who came to watch films. The increase was enough to help Canada actually post gains in theater attendance for the year, although DVD sales were still flat and ad supported TV was down over 6%. The studios may be a bit worried about the end of the DVD boom, but as a consumer I am more excited to see the drive-in begin to show the makings of a come back, even if it’s not in California. While I’m not holding my breath that we’ll see any developers tear down condominiums and start putting in parking lots in San Francisco, nothing would please me more to see the drive-in begin to make a comeback in the US as well.