Summer screens
Drive-in theatres are finding ways to survive despite many new challenges
Car enthusiasts in High River are hoping a repurposed ambulance will be the engine of Alberta’s first drive-in theatre facility in 20 years. The vehicle purchased by members of the River City Classics Car Club contains a digital projector and sound system for a project recently approved by town council.
Though drive-ins still have a presence in neighbouring B.C. and Saskatchewan, there hasn’t been a permanent drive-in theatre in Alberta since the Corral 4, which closed after Calgary’s Hub Oil explosion and fire in 1999.
In the age of Cineplex and Scene points cards, it’s easy to assume Canada’s drive-ins are on the edge of extinction. But there are currently 39 drive-ins still going strong, according to Nick Hensgen, who runs Driveinmovie.com. There used to be about 250 across the nation at their height in the 1970s.
“Canada has more drive-ins than any other country after the U.S.,” Hensgen said. “There really are few entertainment options like the drive-in for families. Going to the drive-in is a fun, all-night activity that everyone in the family can enjoy for a relatively low amount of money.”
Most drive-ins are mom-andpop operations owned by families or individuals, and many of them still only accept cash.
For Flin Flon, Man., a mining town on the border of Saskatchewan, Big Island Drive-in is one of the only sources of recreation for local residents. It started back in 1957 and is Canada’s northernmost drive-in.
“Flin Flon is a small town with no stand-alone theatre,” said Dawn Hlady, who took over Big Island in 2015. “We don’t have a lot of options for entertainment within our community or surrounding areas.”
There’s a discernible tourist season and an economic impact, Hlady said. “People do plan trips from out of town to specifically come to the theatre.”
Bob Boyle, who runs the Brackley Drive-in in Prince Edward Island, said its audience is 60 per cent local and 40 per cent tourist on weekends, but those numbers flip during the week.
“The drive-in was built to attract people to the Brackley Beach area,” Boyle said. “Drive-ins are like rare cars now. They just keep getting better with age if they are cared for.”
Adapting to cinema’s advancing technology has been one of the greater challenges over the past couple of decades. The film industry switched to digital from 35-millimetre film prints in 2013, and drive-ins showing new releases were forced to invest in modern, high-definition digital projectors. They cost from $75,000 to $100,000.
“It was a matter of upgrading or closing our doors,” said Denise Kelk, the operator since 1988 of Clearwater Drive-in, about 200 km southwest of Saskatoon. “The last industry upgrade to digital was significant, and we hope that the next big thing in the film industry will not exclude drive-ins or be so costly that it’s unsustainable for a small seasonal operation.”
Drive-ins started decreasing in popularity after the 1970s as home entertainment gained momentum and families began to stay in instead of going out. The establishment of daylight time also forced drive-in movies to start later, which made them less attractive to families.
Yet Hensgen said the rate of closures has been declining over the past few years, and drive-ins may not be struggling as much as one might think.
“Many that are still open are actually seeing increases in business.”
“We call it the ‘cycle of life,’” said Kelk. “When you go to the drive-in as a child, you will go as a teenager, you will take your own children, and then finally you will take your grandchildren.”