![]() As drive-ins slowly succumbed to changing tastes and became sites for retailers, Gonzales began moving from theater to theater as each shut down. Juan Gonzales took his first drive-in job in 1974. A year later, California’s first drive-in opened at the corner of Pico and Westwood boulevards in Los Angeles, a city built for the car. drive-in opened in Camden, N.J., in 1933. West Wind, a seven-theater circuit based in San Rafael, Calif., does plan to convert all its screens in California, with company spokesman Tony Maniscalco saying revenue rose 43% over the last three years. Many are small, family-owned operations that don’t publicly report financial information. ![]() “It’s a part of our family.”īox office data isn’t tracked separately for drive-ins. ![]() “It’s really kind of a stab in the heart to lose it,” said Herringer, pausing to clear his throat. Instead, he’s selling the land to Wal-Mart. Converting his only remaining theater would cost Herringer about $75,000. The family of Gerry Herringer, owner of the Cottage View Drive-In in Cottage Grove, Minn., once owned 21 theaters in the Twin Cities. Because getting film this summer seems “wishy-washy at best,” he’s forging ahead, using extra profits from this year and some money from his landlord.īut some proprietors aren’t so fortunate. Jeff Kohlberg, the owner of the Cascade Drive-In in West Chicago, created a Kickstarter online fundraising campaign to help pay for his $100,000 conversion. Projectionists who used to put film onto reels will instead insert a jump-drive into a server the size of a refrigerator. Booths with a digital projector also need to be retrofitted with special glass, more vents, stronger air-conditioning and an Internet connection. The booth typically sits more than a football field away from the screen, so the projector needs a much more powerful bulb to carry the image. Huttinger, De Anza’s chief executive, said converting 21 screens at all six of his company’s drive-ins would cost nearly $2 million.ĭrive-ins have unique projection needs. The Rubidoux is owned by Los Angeles-based DeAnza Land & Leisure Corp. Cinedigm and NATO officials said they are negotiating with the studios for a virtual print fee for drive-ins, but neither they nor studio officials could give details of the plan or say when it would be introduced. Each time a cinema shows a digital movie, the studios give them a so-called digital print fee funded by the nearly $1,300 that the studios save on making and shipping a 35-mm print, said Chris McGurk, the chairman and chief executive of Cinedigm, a digital equipment provider for theaters.īut there is no such plan for drive-ins. More than a decade ago, Hollywood created a financing plan to help traditional indoor theaters with the digital transition. He plans to spend $75,000 to convert the drive-in he owns on Cape Cod. “It’s a tough pill to swallow,” Vincent said. None of the eight operating drive-in theaters in Southern California have yet converted to digital. He declined to speculate on the number that may close. Some may not reopen this spring because of the high cost of digital conversion, said John Vincent Jr., the president of the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Assn. In most of the country, drive-ins close for the winter. “My car’s pretty roomy, and it’s chill to sit there together,” said Casey Welch, 19, who was at the Rubidoux Drive-In with girlfriend Jonnie Byrd. of Theatre Owners spokesman Patrick Corcoran.įor younger audiences, there’s the chance to travel back in time. During the past eight years, new projection and sound systems have been installed, the lot repaved and the screens repainted.The drive-ins that survived have been doing better in the last decade, spurred partly by cost-conscious families who can see double features or first-run movies at half the price of the hardtops, said National Assn. For budget-conscious moviegoers, the theater’s website has coupons for discounts at the snack bar.ģ035 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside 95 Tickets: $9, $1 children 5-9.īuilt on the site of a former orange ranch, the theater opened in 1964 with a single screen and expanded to four screens in 1975. With a history that goes back to 1948, the Rubidoux has been outfitted with new projection and sound systems, a snack bar and bathrooms during the past 15 years, yet it still retains much of its original character. The menu at the concession stand includes pizza, burgers and Mexican food.ģ770 Opal St., Riverside. Originally called “The Mission” when it opened as a single-screen venue in 1956, the theater expanded to four screens in 1975 and during the past few years has undergone several upgrades including a repaved lot and updated projection and sound systems. during the week.ġ0798 Ramona Ave., Montclair. Open since 1950, the four-screen theater has been upgraded to include digital projection and FM sound.
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