Parking lot and park pop-ups are selling out fast.
Josh Brasted/Getty Images, FILEpandemic, sales at the Bel Aire Diner in Astoria, Queens, were down nearly 70%. Like so many small businesses striving to stay afloat, the owners had to get creative. In early May, the retro 24/7 diner in New York turned its parking lot into a drive-in movie theater, complete with an inflatable screen as tall as the chrome-shellacked building.
Screenings of"Dirty Dancing,""The Princess Bride" and"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" have quickly sold out, indicative of the drive-in's status as a go-to -- if not the only -- event in town. A child watches a movie from the sunroof of a car during a screening of a drive-in movie at the Bel Aire diner on May 20, 2020 in the Astoria neighborhood in the Queens borough in New York. A child watches a movie from the sunroof of a car during a screening of a drive-in movie at the Bel Aire diner on May 20, 2020 in the Astoria neighborhood in the Queens borough in New York."The response has been overwhelming, to put it mildly," Kal Dellaportas, who runs the diner with his father and brother, told ABC News. Last week, they sold nearly 300 tickets in one minute, Dellaportas said."I was joking, We're like the Beatles now," he said.The Bel Aire Diner joins drive-ins popping up across the country, as social distancing measures keep movie theaters closed and the quarantined masses are starved for entertainment. Drivers have recently sold out screenings at pop-up drive-ins at the Bucktown Marina park in Metairie, La., and the parking lot of the Broadway Commons mall in Hicksville, N.Y. A drive-in at Long Island's Adventureland launches Saturday with a sold-out screening of"The Mighty Ducks." One of the largest yet, an outdoor theater that can accommodate up to 230 cars, is planned for Hard Rock Stadium, where the Miami Dolphins play. Attendees arrive to watch the movie "Grease" at a pop-up drive-in theatre at Bucktown Marina Park on May 22, 2020 in Metairie, La. Attendees arrive to watch the movie "Grease" at a pop-up drive-in theatre at Bucktown Marina Park on May 22, 2020 in Metairie, La.In Atlanta, the Plaza Theatre is behind pop-up drive-ins in the parking lots of the indie cinema and a nearby comedy venue. It kicked off in early May with a screening of"Back to the Future." "We chose that one because we figured for the near future, drive-ins are the future," Plaza owner Chris Escobar told ABC News. Escobar doesn't anticipate being able to reopen his indoor movie theater until early July. He is following Atlanta's reopening guidelines; statewide, Georgia movie theaters were allowed to reopen on April 27. For now, the lots can accommodate nearly 100 cars combined, and screenings have been so popular that Escobar is working on launching other locations. Drive-ins aren't just for movies now, either. The Plaza is hosting a drive-in wedding on Saturday at one of its lots and has been approached about doing book readings. The Bel Aire Diner also does brunch and, earlier this week, held a comedy night, where comics performed from the bed of a pickup truck. The diner will hold another comedy event on Sunday night. Attendees arrive to watch the movie "The Goonies" at a pop-up drive-in theatre built in the parking lot at the Broadway Commons on May 21, 2020 in Hicksville, N.Y. Attendees arrive to watch the movie "The Goonies" at a pop-up drive-in theatre built in the parking lot at the Broadway Commons on May 21, 2020 in Hicksville, N.Y."People are so thirsty for live entertainment, and to be in crowds and experiencing the same thing," the organizer of Sunday's show, Eitan Levine, told ABC News. The event will raise money for the charities Comedy for a Cause and Tip Your Waitstaff, which support those affected by the pandemic.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
No, a car didn't drive through the Mall of America during last night's riotsThe Mall of America is currently closed due to Covid-19.
Read more »
How a Nashville Hot-Dog Stand Is Staging the City's First Drive-In Concert“We’ll be slinging hot dogs and they’ll watch through their windshields,” says Sean “Big Daddy” Porter, the tour-manager-turned-restaurateur behind the idea
Read more »
Pyer Moss to Stage Drive-In Movie Premiere During Fashion WeekThe designer will be screening 'American, Also', a documentary on the making of his spring 2020 show.
Read more »
Deloitte BrandVoice: Fighting On Multiple Fronts: How Governments Can Drive The COVID-19 RecoveryAround the globe, a tiny virus has brought human devastation, wreaked economic havoc, and confronted governments with a challenge unlike any seen in recent history. Sponsored by Deloitte
Read more »
Drive-in concerts may be the answer to the summer shows you're missingDrive-in concerts are popping up in parts of Europe and throughout the United States as the coronavirus pandemic has brought an end to large public gatherings
Read more »
L.A. County’s Drive-Ins Finally Get to Reopen and Share in the Moonlit ResurgenceLos Angeles has traditionally prided itself in being ahead of entertainment trends that develop around the country. But the area has been a little bit behind in at least one: the reopening of drive…
Read more »