There were once 137 drive-ins in Michigan.Īt one point during the pandemic, the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association said just 10 of its 300-plus members nationally remained open. It's a particularly seasonal venture in the Great Lakes state, where drive-in theaters are typically open between Memorial Day and Labor Day. However, the Magocs are preparing to open for the weekend using social distancing guidelines.Ĭapri Drive-In Theater, a family-owned business since 1964, is one of nine drive-in theaters in Michigan. Gretchen Whitmer's executive order, theaters are to remain closed until May 28. On Friday, they plan to open anyway with showings of "Smokey and the Bandit," "Jurassic Park," "Trolls World Tour" and "Sonic the Hedgehog." According to a statement from governor's office, it "is in constant contact with health and business experts to build a path forward for each industry, and consistent with our executive orders drive-in movie theaters are to remain closed to the public at this time." They haven't gotten permission from the state to reopen. "Because it’s going to take you back where you can just remember, 'I can sit here and forget about things that I can’t change.' I’m giving people a night out." “Why do I want to have my drive-in open?" Susan said. So the married couple and co-owners of Capri Drive-In Theater implored their business' Facebook followers and anyone who passed by their marquee on West Chicago Road in Coldwater to contact the governor's office on their behalf, to say the business can open safely to the public amid the coronavirus pandemic. Overall it was a fun experience! I think we’ll definitely go back from time to time.Tom and Susan Magocs wanted to open their drive-in theater. As we started packing up, we realized dew had set in, so our blankets had gotten damp and needed washed the next day. I’d recommend bringing sweaters and blankets even if it seems like a hot day when you’re heading in. The second movie got over about 2am, so it had gotten rather chilly despite being warm to start with. Also be sure to hit up the ATM before going because they only accept cash at both the ticket booth and the concessions. If you plan to go, bring bug spray, the mosquitos were out in full force. They do not attempt to ban people from bringing in outside snacks or food, so that is an option if you’re feeling frugal. They have corndogs, pretzels (they are sized like ones you buy at a grocery store, much smaller than other movie theaters), nachos, pickles, candy, bags of chips, crackers, ice cream bars, ice pops, cotton candy, pizza (they order it from little caesars, $3.50 a slice or $15.50 for a large pizza). They have a nice amount of variety, though. The large popcorn is about the size of a medium popcorn at another theater, and so on. Boxes or small bags of candy were $3.5-$4.50 a piece. Small candy bars (the kind that are often 2 for $1 at a gas station were $2.25. 20oz bottles of soda (no fountain pop available) were $2.50. I felt like it was priced even higher than most movie theaters. Of course, like any theater, everything feels overpriced. There are concession stands that are open from 8 pm until about 15 minutes after the second movies start. The drive-in is dog-friendly so we brought Frank and Beans along which was fun. Families with kids used the lawn around the outdoor screen to play frisbee, throw a baseball back and forth, or play football. During that gap, most people sat around talking. Ours started around 9:30 in late May, and it was a bit hard to see for the first 20 minutes or so because it wasn’t quite dark enough outside for our movie which started in a very dark setting. You can buy tickets starting at 8pm and the movie starts at dark, so the exact time will vary. My brother-in-law rented a radio from Capri for $3 and it kept picking up the wrong station and had a lot of static so I’d recommend bringing your own. We brought a portable radio to hear the audio through. A lot of other people had brought air mattresses that they relaxed in front of their vehicles. Ryan had been before so he knew to bring along lawn chairs. I had it in my head that drive-ins would involve sitting in the car, but nobody seems to do that. Tickets are $9 per adult which seems pretty typical, except you can stay for two movies for that price which makes the tickets rather cheap. I just had never managed to get there until this past weekend. Coldwater is about 45 minutes from where I live, so it’s not a terrible drive at all. There are less than a dozen drive in movie theaters in Michigan. I’ll be 27 next month, but somehow I managed to live my entire life until this past weekend without ever going to a drive-in movie theater.
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