Recently, in the US “drive in theatres” that being an old concept has been gaining huge momentum again. Drive In Theatres are open screenings in a large space with audiences in separate vehicles lined up together.
With normal theatres is a dangerous spot for huge crowds to gather and for following social distancing norms at least for now, this concept can be a huge boon for everyone.
In India, we currently see Chennai’s ‘Prarathna’ drive in, Ahmedabad’s ‘Sunset’ drive in, Gurgaons’s ‘Gurgaon Talkies’, Bengaluru’s ‘Under The Stars’ and Vishakhapatnam’s Balaji’ drive in cinema but temporarily closed. So the concept exists but seeing it in the post covid world, adapting and managing this format could be difficult.
Primarily because of our population size but if big distributors like PVR, INOX, etc can collaborate to create minimal entry, locations on the outskirts of cities, make efforts to match the theatre experience, limited audience but multiple screenings, drive in theatres could not only maximise profits for such chains but also bring our country and audiences together for a real human experience once again. It can give us a place to get out of the house within safety limits and feel good about.
Productions, filmmakers and even streaming services like Amazon, Netflix, and Disney+ Hotstar. Etc can be of a huge help in showcasing old and new films. Also seeing how uncertain our normal routine coming back into our lives is looking like, drive in theatres could just do that.
We’ve seen singleplex theatres such as Metro, Regal, Liberty cinema and many more exist when multiplexes entered the market. We’ve also seen OTT platforms huge entry and co existing with theatres. So this can be a game changing visual avenue for all of us.
In such times all that all of us want is human experience and touch, a feeling of togetherness that art has been doing for us but this culture of viewing cinema can be healing for us as a society.