Drive-in theatre adapts to pandemic

If you have missed watching movies on the big screen, get ready to enjoy some classic favourites this summer — with a side of social distancing.

Trystan Meyers and Chris Lawrie are opening Cinema Under the Stars drive-in theatre this weekend, beginning in Warman on Friday and then at Agar’s Corner on Saturday and Sunday at Highway 16 and Floral Road. The theatre is set to show two movies nightly, with admission for each movie costing a flat rate of $40 per car.

There will even be basic concession items available for purchase through an app, Meyers said.

Cinema Under the Stars — created through a partnership between Meyers’ business Armed With Harmony and Lawrie’s business Saskatoon Audio Visual — has long been providing their movie setup for community organizations, but this time around things are a bit different.

To ensure it is a safe environment, Meyers said they’ll adhere to strict government-mandated social distancing rules, including a three-metre distance between vehicles and ensuring any washroom facilities are properly sanitized. He believes these changes are easily doable, he said.

“There wasn’t anything in those outlines that we thought were ridiculous or crazy by any means,” Meyer said.

“We thought they were all very attainable and that made it clear to us that we can pull this off safely and that, to us, is ultimately the biggest thing.”

With the space at Agar’s Corner, they can only accommodate 30 vehicles at a time. Meyers said they are looking to host movie nights at other venues where a larger number of cars can congregate while still being able to maintain the three-metre separation.

So far, Meyers said, tickets are selling fast. When they launched online for Saturday’s shows — Big Hero 6 and Jurassic Park — they sold out within 24 hours. So, Meyers and Lawrie quickly added Sunday screenings to keep up with the demand.

Meyers said they plan to continue throughout the summer with a variety of both newer and nostalgic options.

“I think a lot of people have been looking for an outlet to blow off some steam — especially parents,” he said.

“I think people are always going to have their own personal opinions on what is safe and we respect that. For the people who are comfortable to come to this, we want to make it a safe environment.”