SACO, Maine — Many in the movie industry feared the need to convert to digital could be the death knell for drive-ins, but drive-in operators are finding creative ways to afford the switch.
Drive-in movie theater operators say more than 200 of the remaining 348 driveins in the country have made the expensive conversion from film to digital, which typically costs more than $70,000.
Some drive-ins are raising money using crowd-funding platforms, such as Kickstarter, while others are taking advantage of financing programs or renting out their theaters as flea markets during off-hours.
Ry Russell, general manager of Saco Drive-In, launched a social-media campaign to win an $80,000 digital projection system in a contest sponsored by Honda.
His drive-in theater in Saco is celebrating its 75th anniversary by welcoming hundreds of cars to its giant roadside screen to watch the latest films on a new digital projection system.
“We’re just seeing Darwinism kind of take over,” Russell said.
“The ones that survive will prosper.”
It’s a story that’s playing out at drive-ins all over the country, where conversion to digital is the key to survival, said John Vincent Jr., president of the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association.
Studios are phasing out 35mm film prints as Hollywood moves toward all-digital distribution.
In Westbrook, 15 miles up the road from Saco, the owners of the 62-year-old Pride’s Corner Drive In are struggling just to keep business alive — they can only show movies in 35mm film and have raised just $1,350 of the $100,000 they need to convert to digital.
“When they stop making film, that’s it,” said Andrew Tevanian, operator of Pride’s Corner. “Then you’re out in the cold.”