O.M.G. Drive-ins are officially in, baybay! For the benefit of anyone born from the 2000s up, this was where you’d take your dates, sitting back in the comfort of your own car and catching the latest flicks. Of course that’s the PG version. Get in touch for the Unrated.
Walmart: adapting to the times
So we all know that various industries have had to adapt to deal with COVID-19. From electric scooter sales going through the roof to that flimsy House Party app, everyone’s finding a way to innovate.
And Walmart have sure as hell stepped it up. Management were probably sat there thinking: we’ve got all this parking space, people are social distancing, not every town has those football-pitch-sized drive-ins, what to do?
And as they asked each of their board members and skipped on the guy who suggested parking lot windies for customers, the idea materialised: parking lot drive-ins.
Drive ins: Tailored for social distancing
Think about it, it’s the perfect ruse. You know how they say the movie industry is recession proof? Yeah, well COVID’s put that theory to the ultimate test, and companies like Amazon Prime have responded brilliantly, offering customers the chance to purchase ‘home premiere’ films that people would ordinarily head out to the cinema to watch.
And the drive-in is the latest in a list of COVID-proof schemes aiming to restore some semblance of a previously existing life, where social distancing was a pimply-faced gamer who locked himself in his room all day long.
Bring on the summer flicks!
Teaming up with Bob De Niro’s Tribeca Enterprises, Walmart have seized upon a golden opportunity, giving movie-goers the chance to catch 320 blockbuster showings at one (or more) of 160 store parking lots across the US of A, from August through to October.
We don’t as of yet know exactly which films they’ll be showing, but they’ve hinted at ‘family-friendly’ ones (good bye r-rated dates), along with ‘special appearances from filmmakers and celebrities.’ Expect Tom Hanks to rock up at your Peugeot’s window offering you one of his typewriters.
As long as they’re showing Tenet, we’re game. Bravo Walmart, bravo.
Vox and Reel ahead of the game
No Walmart? No problem. If you’re living in the UAE, you can still catch your favourite blockbusters, while social distancing, this summer, as Reel and Vox have opened up drive-ins of their own.
The former’s set up shop at The Dubai Mall Zabeel, with the Burj Khalifa as its backdrop, you know, in case the film gets boring. The latter, meanwhile, has transformed its rooftop into an outdoor cinema, with screenings taking place every evening at 7:30PM.
