Seeing a movie is a great way to spend your free time, whether by yourself or with friends. But where do you go to do it? Nowadays, we have plenty of options: streaming services, countless movie theaters, and, in a recent comeback, drive-in theaters.
Which is the best way to experience a movie? Can drive-ins measure up to the movie theater experience or the convenience of streaming services? Do they even pose any competition?
Drive-In Movies: A Blast From the Past
Drive-in movies first made an appearance in the 30s. They were the pinnacle of the movie-viewing experience around the 50s and 60s, until their popularity started to decline in the 70s.
They didn't entirely disappear, though, but did take a back seat to movie theaters and watching movies at home. First came the convenience of VCRs, then DVD players, and now we have streaming services.
Going to a drive-in to catch a movie has had a resurgence. Increasingly, more people consider it as an option when they want to see a feature screening. But why is that?
Why Are Drive-In Theaters Gaining in Popularity?
The rise in popularity of drive-in movie theaters can be attributed to a few things. There's those who grew up listening to stories by their grandparents and parents about how fun watching a movie in your car was; others simply romanticize the past and are feeling nostalgic; then there's those who are simply seeking a new experience.
It's a fact that nostalgia sells. It's why so many streaming services are capitalizing on nostalgia. There are countless remakes of 90s movies and shows—prequels, reboots, reimaginings, and so on. Perhaps this is the biggest reason why drive-in theaters are being romanticized and growing in popularity.
Their popularity is also undoubtedly due to COVID-19, where people still want the big screen experience, but with the privacy and safety afforded by their vehicles. When the pandemic is less severe, it'll be interesting to see whether drive-ins stick around.
How Do Drive-In Theaters Compare to Streaming Services and Traditional Theaters?
Watching at home, movie theaters, and drive-ins offer very different viewing experiences.
When you decide to enjoy a movie via a streaming service, you choose comfort and convenience. You're usually at home, on your couch, and you have no one to impress, so there's no need to dress up. There's no pre-planning; just launch the service, have a browse, and you're good to watch. Best of all, you can have all the snacks you want and pause and rewind as many times as you like.
When you catch a movie at a theater, it's more of an experience. There's the big screen, surround sound, and the fresh popcorn. You have to travel to the theater, spend money on a ticket, likely get some food, and so on.
There are drawbacks, of course. If you need the restroom, no one is going to pause the movie for you. But you get to experience the movie with an entire room of people. You get to laugh along with others. If there's an unexpected plot twist, you gasp collectively. It can improve on a movie greatly when you view it with a bunch of people around you. Unfortunately, that's a two-sided argument.
Those around can also ruin your viewing experience. Some movie-goers like to talk through the movie and do it loudly without any consideration. Others look at their phones often or even have entire conversations without a care for you or the rest of the people in the room.
That's where drive-ins shine. You still feel like you're part of a group, but the surrounding people don't have as much power over your personal viewing experience. Even if they're loud or look at their phone screens at full brightness, the likelihood is you won't notice, and it won't interfere with your viewing.
You can also make the experience as special as you choose. You can dress up or go in your pajamas. After all, you're in the comfort of your own car. You can take all the snacks you can carry and even eat a full meal if you feel like it.
Going to a drive-in movie screening appears to have the best of both worlds. You can be comfortable, and you can still feel like you're part of a group and share in the collective reactions to the movie.
Drive-In Theaters Don't Replace Streaming Services
Streaming services are here to stay. There are countless already established with massive user bases, and more new ones keep popping up. Movie theaters are likely not going anywhere either, even though they entered turmoil with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In recent years, both these mediums have teamed up for new movie releases, with many movies either launching simultaneously in theaters and on streaming, or arriving on the latter not long after. That way, the movie rakes in viewership of all kinds—people who'd rather enjoy the feature at home and ones who'd prefer to see it in a theater.
Drive-ins are unlikely to replace either one of the other options. They've only just made a resurgence in popularity, so it's unclear whether they're here to stay or remain nothing more than a trend.
Drive-In Theaters: Are They Here to Stay?
It's hard to say whether drive-in theaters will maintain their popularity and become another staple for movie-goers wanting to catch a feature on a big screen.
On the surface, it appears that this experience meshes the best parts of seeing a film at home and going to a theater. It does have its downsides, though. For example, if you don't park in a decent spot, it might result in you not having a good view of the screen.
Time will tell whether drive-ins are back for good or will fall victim to the trend cycle and fade in popularity once more.
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