Houston drive-in movie series opens.
Films screened on the old Success Rice grain silos twice a night, seven days a week in response to coronavirus
Even the rain couldn’t dampen spirits at Tuesday night’s opening of Rooftop Cinema Club’s Drive-In at Sawyer Yards.
The new, nightly series kicked off with “Grease,” the 1978 musical starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. A sold-out crowd watched from inside their cars, atop their roofs and inside the bed of trucks. Several rows of cars were spaced out for social distancing, with roughly one parking space between each vehicle.
Tuesday’s “Grease” debut was preceded by a big-screen message from Sandy herself.
“I am so excited to hear that you are watching ‘Grease’ tonight at the drive-in,” Newton-John said in a prerecorded greeting. “It was always one of my favorite things to do as a young girl, and one of my favorite scenes in the movie is at the drive-in. Isn’t it wonderful that we can enjoy a film and still social distance and have a great time?”
Houston is the first U.S. city to get a Rooftop Cinema Club drive-in, a response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic by the Los Angeles-based chain. Rooftop founder and owner Gerry Cottle says he’d love to keep it going “as long as the community needs us” and hopes to open in other cities under the guidance of local safety guidelines.
The Houston drive-in is located at 2301 Summer, ad
jacent to Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. Tickets are designated as “central view” ($35) or “side view” ($28) and parking within each section is first-come, firstserve. All employees wear masks, and most of the crowd had them on, too.
Guests are given an FM radio signal to hear the movie. Portable restrooms are a short walk away. The brewery restroom is also available for use.
Movies are screened on the old Success Rice grain silos twice a night, seven days a week. The earlier film (8:15 p.m.) is family friendly, and the later showing (10:45 p.m.) is more suitable for adults. Tuesday night’s “Grease” screening was followed by the Ryan Gosling film “Drive.”
It’s a wonderfully nostalgic throwback that is connecting with local moviegoers. The first week of titles, including “The Silence of the Lambs” and “The Sandlot,” is sold out. After all, some movies were just meant to be experienced under the stars. (Or clouds, if we’re talking about Houston.)
And some musical numbers — “Summer Nights,” “You’re the One That I Want” — were meant for group viewing.
Even within social distancing guidelines, it felt like a communal experience. Everywhere you turned, people were singing along, bopping their heads, beaming with joy. Relief to finally get out and be a part of something.
“It was such an amazing experience for us. The kids and I packed up our snacks, drinks and blankets. Social distancing was respected. The staff was extremely hospitable and well-equipped. No fear of being ‘stranded at the drive-in’,” says Yazmin Juárez, echoing a song lyric in the film.
She drove in from Richmond with her three children.
Regularly passing trains in front of the silos did little to distract from the screen. And it somehow made “Beauty School Dropout” all the more poignant.
The Drive-In at Sawyer Yards released a new lineup of films Wednesday. It includes “The Goonies,” “Mean Girls,” “The Greatest Showman” and the perennially popular “Selena.” There are also more “Grease” screenings. Doctors, nurses and essential workers get free admission to designated “community screenings” as a thank you for their service.
But hurry and get tickets. The website crashed when they went on sale at noon Wednesday. Several of the showings will probably be sold out by the time you
Upcoming films
(8:15 p.m. early movie, 10:45 p.m. late movie)
May 18: “The Greatest Showman” (community screening) and “Selena”
May 19: “Dirty Dancing” and “Poetic Justice” (community screening)
May 20: “The Addams Family” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” May 21: “Sing” and “Grease”
May 22: “Back to the Future” and “Friday”
May 23: “The Goonies” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
May 24: “Space Jam” and “Love & Basketball”
May 25: “Grease” (community screening) and TBD
May 26: “Mean Girls” and “Urban Cowboy” (community screening) May 27: “Despicable Me” and “Night of the Living Dead”
May 28: “The Secret Life of Pets” and “Love Jones”
May 29: “Shrek” and “Dazed and Confused”
May 30: TBD and “The Fast and the Furious”
May 31: “Like Mike” and “True Romance”
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The original Rooftop Cinema Club in Uptown Houston, an outdoor theater with beach chairs and headphones, is due to reopen next month.