What we thought of the concept

After 63 days in isolation (a hospital visit doesn’t count), it was with a spring in my step that I hopped into my car to make way for an entertainment outing.

The new Vox Drive-In cinema at Mall of the Emirates was ready to open its doors and some of us were the chosen few to try out its swanky, not-so-new, facilities.

Ahead of our drive, we were armed with a battery of instructions: enter only through Shaikh Zayed Road; iftar will be provided; and maintain social distancing at all times.

As we drove up the ramp, resembling eager beavers, a red carpet had been rolled out (only in Dubai) to welcome the cars driving up to the first checkpoint: the bar code scanner station. The bar code serves as a ticket for your car, with a sticker added to your windshield to assign your designated ‘seat’ in the parking lot.

Excited staff appeared on the passenger side as well, holding up bags of F&B goodies that come with the ticket price: three kinds of gourmet popcorn (we wondered later if we could just request salt in the future), soft drinks, water and a bag of

M&Ms.

WHAT WORKS

Rather than blaring speakers, it was rather enjoyable to tune into a radio station to hear the movie. Staff were on hand at all times, popping around to check — from a safe distance — whether we could hear the movie OK and if there were additional F&B requirements.

Instructions were also provided to turn off the headlights, so as to not ruin the movie experience. What we absolutely loved about this movie experience was the lack of disturbance. There were no chattering, kids crying or people constantly on their cell phones.

WHAT DOESN’T WORK

It would have been nice if the Dh180 would allow the audience to actually choose their F&B options in the future. Perhaps this is something that is already in the works — fingers crossed.

People are humans after all and they can be annoying despite the clear instructions provided by staff. Headlights remained on for several vehicles.

BOTTOM LINE

With the ever-changing landscape of entertainment in the UAE and the fact that we are in the midst of a pandemic, the drive-in concept rolls in with a welcome mat. Bring on more of these, we say. — B.R.