While the top entertainment venues remain closed by the pandemic, an explosion beyond summers is coming back: videos behind the wheel.
At least 4 regional ephemeral venues will offer summer videos under the stars in northern Idaho, Spokane Valley, Cheney and North Spokane. Families can load an entire house and the car naturally serves as a socially remote pod. The soundtracks of the films are broadcast on the FM radios of the vehicles.
Many indoor cinemas have kept their doors closed as COVID-19 cases continue to spread. New movie releases are on hold. These emerging movie parks fill the niches of the old circle of family movies.
“We had a good attendance over the weekend,” said Mike Lehosit, owner of Hayden Discount Cinema at three hundred W. Centa Drive in Hayden. The theater has had a drive-in on a wall since April, and the exhibits are expected to take place 4 days a week until Labor Day.
A film that starts around nine o’clock at night. in Hayden prices are $10 consistent with the vehicle from Thursday to Sunday, with online registration at drivein.hdcfilms.com. Each drive-in display can contain about forty-five cars with social distance.
“We allow garden chairs in front of the cars as long as they are in their space. We see many families faint on weekends and we just had ‘Beauty and the Beast’, which was a wonderful success. Families just need to pass out and do things together, and right now it’s hard.”
In some places, Walmart has announced 160 pop-up sites for cars across the country in its movie parking masses starting in August, major points are ending if this domain is included. Specific movie sites and times are expected to be released until the end of July on walmartdrive-in.com.
Smaller movie parks in the inner northwest with scheduled exhibits now come with Cheney Parks’ loose films – Sunset Recreation Every Night Every And Every Friday until August 21st – Welcome, first served, for a movie on the apartment’s giant inflatable screen. On the show, “Mary Poppins Returns” on Friday, “Toy Story 4” on August 7, “Peanut Butter Falcon” on August 14 (rated PG-13) and “Robin Hood” on August 21.
Families are encouraged to bring their own snacks and in vehicles.
“There are so many limited features for recreation that we think is a smart way to get the public to do anything for free and everyone can attend,” said Kelly McGinley Ashe, Cheney’s director of recreation.
Also next month, the Spokane Valley Department of Parks and Recreation is making plans for two loose movie parks for “Abominable” on August 7 and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on August 21, either at 8:30 p.m. Families must register online at speakanevalley.org/driveinfilms or by telephone at (509) 720-5200 to obtain a seat among approximately one hundred cars according to the program. The site is against Valley Mission Park, 11123 E. Mission Ave., in a parking lot south of the road.
Spokane Valley has signed a contract with FunFlicks Outdoor Movies, which gives the big screen.
“It’s an exclusive delight for the whole family,” said Tina Gregerson, the city’s recreation coordinator. “With the other two types of movies, we hope to capture all ages.”
“With COVID restrictions, we require others to stay in their cars for the duration of the film, with the exception of bathroom use. We’ll have portable toilets on and they’ll have to wear a mask.
“Apart from that, we hope other people come and enjoy a loose movie of the wheel. Bring your own snacks, popcorn, kids in pajamas.”
In Northern Spokane, “Flicks for Fido” is planned to raise funds for the Spokane Animal Protective Society. At 6607 N. Havana St., the assets plan to host “Secret Life of Pets” on August 8 and “Secret Life of Pets 2” on August 9, either at dusk. FunFlicks will install a 40-foot display. With car seats, consumers can book online with a minimum donation of $40 to Spokanehumanesociety.org/flicks-for-fido.
The proceeds will be for homeless animals rescued through the nonprofit. If you need the chance to show up, the doors open at 7:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have any questions, please call (509) 467-5235, ext. 212.
This summer’s outdoor screens are only movies, as some musicians jump into the room. On June 27, Garth Brooks’ drive-in concert was a fan favorite nationwide and was shown locally on outdoor screens at Hayden Cinema, Auto-View Drive-in at Colville and the University of Idaho.
A Blake Shelton concert in Hayden sold out for an exhibition last Saturday, Lehosit said, so the theater added moment-by-moment functionality at midnight.
“Garth’s concert is well done, and it was especially for movie parks,” Lehosit said. “They recorded it and I’m sure they’re doing the same thing with Blake Shelton.
“Other events are also being made. I don’t know exactly what, however, are concerts they do in more than three hundred movie parks across the country. I think when artists don’t do much more, they look for other tactics to be in touch with their fans.”
Lehosit said he added more outdoor speakers for music events. Families can move from home to buy concessions.
Depending on the length of the pandemic restrictions, Lehosit stated that it would not be unexpected for film parks to have become venues for primary sporting events or theatrical performances. Lehosit has helped other small independent theaters set up film parks, such as his plan.
“I’m waiting for the next concept to come,” Lehosit said. “Will major league groups show on screen or in NBA games? I know we’re willing to check things out.”
The Idaho Theatre recently opened films in theaters with limited capacity, but Lehosit plans to screen films for the duration of the weather. That’s a component of explaining why it was hard to keep movie parks open every month in colder climates, Lehosit said, but might have that option.
“If someone has a box and is willing to integrate it, I’d love to create one all year round, but it would have to be versatile. Some other people do flea markets, food courtes, maybe even a kids’ gym every day. .
The sixties and were the pinnacle of film parks. In 1952, Spokane opened his fourth movie theater in the Y North Division, he said “Spokane Historical”, an assignment at Eastern Washington University. It opened a few years after the first drive-in at East Sprague in 1949.
Across the country, there were more than 5,000 film parks in 1960, however, the number declined in the 1980s with home entertainment systems. Spokane’s last drive-in was closed in 1994.