TribLIVE: In his four decades in the movie-theater business, Jerry Salnoris has seen many changes. Technology has altered the way nearly everything works.
Now, Salnoris and hundreds of other drive-in owners are facing a change that's threatening to cause screens across the country to go dark.
“Changes have been expensive, but it's been nothing like this,” says Salnoris, owner of the Twin Hi-Way Drive-In in Robinson. “Unless we come up with a game plan, we could be history.”
6 comments:
This article highlights something that has been happening for years across the country. Growing up in a town with a drive-in movie theater was a great experience. In high school my friends and I would all pile into a pickup truck with pillows, blankets, and brown grocery bags full of popcorn, and go to the drive in all the time. As I got older I worked at a movie theater as well. Seeing all of the old technology in the theater is impressive. It's getting so expensive now, though, with digital projectors and 3D screens, lamps, and lenses, that the small mom and pop theaters are quickly going out of business, let alone the drive-in theaters across the country, many of which can only operate on a seasonal basis. This may turn into one of those things that this generation grows up and tells their children about. "Back in my day..."
Its sad but I think its just part of life. People move on. I think drive ins are pretty cool, but I have only been to one once. its hard to take the time to go see a movie and even harder to take the long drive to go to a drive in as I think the closest is at least 45 minutes away. 70,000 to replace a projector is quite a lot of money for a business that I imagine does not make that much. Its getting harder and harder for small businesses to succeed, and these are really small businesses.I wonder how many will be left 10 years down the road.
Sadly, drive-in's already seem part of the bygone era of my parents. While I have been to one back home a few times, I always felt like I was experiencing a part of the past. I think the time of the drive-in is drawing to a close. As much as I don't like to see small businesses forced to shutter their doors, I feel a need to recognize reality. I am sure a few will survive, and be viewed as a novelty by future generations.
I agree with some key points in this article, one being that technology comes and goes way too quickly. However, I don't know if I completely understand the owners of these business trying to hold on so dearly. I've had this problem with drive-in movies for quite some time. I simply don't understand why they work so hard to lose money majority of the time when they could change their ways. It almost feels like someone who is too sentimental to let go of their memories. Almost like a grad student who continues to return just to hold on to the years of childhood and the memories they have. Sometimes I believe it's better just to let things go.
Wow it is so weird to hear someone say that, "drive-in's already seem part of the bygone era of my parents". I don't think that I'm in the same age group as your parents, but drive-ins were a huge part of my childhood and teenage outings. It is always easy for someone on the outside to say, 'that's part of life', when it doesn't affect you directly. However, if anyone said okay, let's close all theaters, but leave 1 in every state and stick to movie theaters only, they make more money, all of us theatre students would be in an uproar. Mainly because it affects us directly. People who work in mines for a living wouldn't care, because it doesn't affect them. I don't think that every drive-in needs to remain open, but this is a great initiative to raise funds to help some of them remain open for those who still enjoy going to the drive-in.
Sadly one day drive-ins will be part of a museum tour. In other parts of the world however drive-ins are still heavily attended.
Car company teaming up with drive-ins to ensure their survival? Seems like a plot for a movie. It is a pretty ballsy, yet possibly highly profitable, on Honda's part. I've driven past more drive-ins than I've actually gone to. They remind me of parking lots and half of the time they are used for crafts fairs and farmer's markets rather than movie watching. It was a novel idea in the 50's, but now I think it has been played out. Sitting in an air conditioned theater just seems so much more relaxing than sitting in your car. Nostalgic, yes. Practical, not so much.
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