As many of us remain cautious about in-person gatherings amid the pandemic, weoften find ourselves relying on modern technology for entertainment alternatives: Zoom happy hours, livestream concerts, movies and TV shows on streaming services. Yet there's one increasingly popular option that's downright retro: the drive-in theater.
Hearing the term drive-inmay conjureimagesof '50s high schoolers in hotrods, or the big screen Brad Pitt's character lives behind in Quentin Tarantino's recent '60s-set film"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." But the inherently socially distanced setup of sitting in separate cars has made crowdssuddenly seek out drive-ins, and luckily, Florida has several such theatersthat have operated for decades.
When traditional theaters shut down in the early months of the pandemic, drive-ins became essentially the only way to see films on the big screen, leading to the unlikely scenario observed by Vice where Ocala Drive-In briefly became the center of the U.S. box office merely by staying open and showing new releases. And while manymovie theaters now struggle to stay open, with the country's second-largest cinema chain Regal recentlytemporarily closingagain, drive-ins continue to remain popular.
Rooftop Cinema Club opened The Drive-In at Armature Works in Tampa, proving successful enough that programming was recently extended through Nov. 15.Sarasota-Manatee has hosted drive-in screenings at venues likeThe Mall at University Town Center and a Bradenton Walmart, the latter as part of a national tour by the chain.
Fall film festivals across the country have largely employed a combination of drive-in and virtual screenings. It's even inspired musicians, comedians and other entertainers to hostdrive-in events, including at actual theaters, with country star Jimmie Allen performinga concert at Lakeland's Silver Moon Drive-In this summer.
Going to the movies has long been one of my favorite pastimes, and while multiplelocal theaters remain open with safety guidelines, I've tried to limit my time indoors besides my home.And since I'd never been to a drive-in before the pandemic, visiting some of the ones near me has been a way to replicate the theatrical experiencewhilegetting out of the house and trying something new.
I first visited Ruskin Family Drive-In, which has operated sincethe 1950s and showsdouble features, in lateAugust when they screened"The New Mutants." The X-Men spinoff wasone of the first major new moviesto open amidthe pandemic. It was pairedwith fellow comic bookfilm "Black Panther," which in a tragiccoincidence, played the same nightthe untimely death of its star Chadwick Boseman was announced.
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The following month, I visited Tampa's Fun-Lan Drive-In to watch Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated time-bending thriller "Tenet." And when I didn't have any plans thisHalloween, I decided to headback there to seethe new horror movie "Come Play."
There are some drawbacks towatching a movie outside of an air-conditioned multiplex. If you choose to turn your car off and use a portable radio like I did, the Florida heat can be a factor, though thankfully it's now cooling down some. The dark, nighttime-set opening scenes of "The New Mutants" and "Come Play" were a little tough to make out, and the audio was rough during the louder action sequences in "Tenet" (though some of those who saw the film in regular theaters reported similar issues.)
But there's something to be said about the retro charm of adrive-in, not to mention the outdoor backdrop, with a beautiful Florida sunset slowly fading into night almost feeling like nature's version of an auditorium's lights dimming. And as someone who regularly went to the movies multiple times a week before the pandemic, with this easily being the longest stretch I've gone without seeing a filmin theaters since I was a kid, it's been great seeing movies on abig screen again, in a venue where I felt totally at ease.
One of the moments I'm most looking forwardto when this pandemic ends is the communal experience of sitting in a darkened auditorium with a packed crowd enjoyinga movie again. Until then, I'm grateful for Florida's drive-in theaters for bringing backsomeof that feeling for me.And once this is all over, I intend to not make it another 29 years before I make my wayback to the drive-in.
Here's more information about some of the drive-in theaters closest to Sarasota-Manatee:
Ruskin Family Drive-In:The drive-in theater that has operated since the 1950soffers double features and is primarily showing throwback titles currently, with animated movies "Toy Story" and "The Polar Express" currently scheduled as the next screenings.5011 U.S.41, Ruskin; $6 ages 9 orolder, $1 ages 5-8, free ages4 or younger(cash only);813-645-1455; ruskinfamilydrivein.com
Fun-Lan Drive-In: The drive-in offers movies on multiple screens and has largely been showingnew releases, with recent offerings including horror movie "Come Play" and comedy sequel "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," along with some older titles.2302 E.Hillsborough Ave., Tampa; $7 ages 12 orolder, $2 ages 5-11, free ages four oryounger;813-234-2311;floridaswapshop.com/tampa
The Drive-In at Armature Works: Rooftop Cinema Club recently opened this drive-in featuring twice a night screenings. Upcoming titlesinclude Steven Spielberg movies "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Jurassic Park," superhero blockbusters "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and "Captain Marvel" and '80s comedies "Raising Arizona" and "The Goonies." 420 W. Oak Ave., Tampa; $28-$34 per vehicleSection A, $22-$28 per vehicle Section B, $5 community screenings;rooftopcinemaclub.com/tampa
Silver Moon Drive-In: The theaterfeatures two screens each hosting double features, with this week's titlesscheduled to beanimated films"Toy Story" and "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" on one screen, and R-rated comedies"21 Jump Street" and "22 Jump Street" on the other.4100New Tampa Hwy., Lakeland; $6 ages 10 orolder, $2 ages 4-9, free ages 3 or younger;863-682-0849;silvermoondrivein.com
Joy-Lan Drive-In: The theater with thesame ownership as Silver Moonfeaturesone screen, with this week's titles scheduled to be "Toy Story" and "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie."16414U.S. 301,Dade City; $6 ages 10 or older, $2 ages 4-9, free ages3 or younger; 352-567-5085;joylandrivein.com
Ocala Drive-In: The drive-in typically features two screens each hosting double features, screening both new releases and retro titles, along with special events like a recent Halloween horror movie marathon.4850 S. Pine Ave., Ocala;$6, $3 ages 6-12, free ages 5 oryounger; 352-629-1325;ocaladrivein.info
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com.
