09/07/2020
Weekend 1: 24,25 en 26 juli.
Like diners and baseball cards, few things scream Americana more than drive-in cinemas. But in the UK, watching films from the front seat of the car has never really got out of first gear. Could the easing of lockdown restrictions mean outdoor cinema finally gets its day on this side of the pond?
Eight weeks ago, Drive In Films did not exist. It was the brainchild of couple, Ian and Roseanne Marriott, and so confident were they it would take off, they have invested £25,000 in their plan.
"I got furloughed from the work that I normally do and we thought, what else could I do to support the family?" says Ian, who has worked in the broadcast and entertainment industries.
"We thought it fits with my skill-set and my background to do drive-in movie theatres. So we set up and it's gone from an idea to being real very quickly."
The couple, from Silverstone in Northamptonshire, were inspired to open a drive-in cinema after seeing how popular they are in South Korea, rather than the US.
While not an entirely new concept in the UK, there are still only 20 permanent drive-in cinemas dotted around. It is not the country's changeable weather that have stopped them becoming more commonplace, but the lack of a decent profit margin, says Danny Banthorpe, director of Norwich-based Popup Pictures.
"We've been around for five years," he said. "We did a drive-in in our first year and we've probably done about half a dozen since.
"We've done Halloween and Christmas drive-ins, and we get people coming in the autumn and winter. So weather isn't an issue because you're in the comfort of your own cars.
Drive-In Cinema | Brabant
Drive In Cinema | Drive In Movies
Drive-In Cinema Brabant 2020
Drive In Cinema Drive In Movies
