Melbourne drive-in owners hoping to reopen by early June
Drive-in cinemas across Melbourne are likely to open in coming weeks, with owners saying they expect a post-coronavirus surge in patrons. It comes just in time for one theatre’s just-completed $3 million revamp.
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Melbourne drive-in cinema operators are expecting a post-coronavirus boom in patrons as theatres prepare to reopen by early June.
There are three drive-in cinemas in Melbourne — Dromana 3 Drive-In, Dandenong’s Lunar Drive-In and Village Cinemas Coburg Drive-In.
Dromana 3 Drive-In manager Paul Whitaker confirmed the business would be reopened by June 4, but said it could open earlier if its request for an exemption was granted by the government.
The Leader understands Village Cinemas Coburg Drive-In will be prepared to open in early June if restrictions are eased.
Lunar Drive-In owners and brothers David and Matt Kilderry said they were hoping to reopen by June 3.
David Kilderry urged the government not to let drive-ins “fall the through the cracks”.
“We are hoping we are not forgotten when restrictions are eased, the drive-in with its built-in social distancing should be one of the very first businesses considered,” he said.
“At shopping centres, there are crowds of cars in carparks that are packed in twice as closely as here at the drive-in, so it makes complete sense to open them.”
Mr Kilderry said drive-in theatres in Queensland and other countries including the United States had experienced a boom in patrons.
“Drive-in theatres are filling up to capacity, they have never been more popular. We have received hundreds of emails from people asking when we’ll be open, so we expect to be very busy,” he said.
He said Lunar Drive-In’s snack bar had undergone a $3 million revamp, which includes diner-style booths and an arcade games area.
“We ensured careful planning went into this … we visited cinemas overseas including the US,” Mr Kilderry said.
“We’ve got all of our favourites including our range of burgers headed by the Lunar burger, popcorn, choc tops, hot dogs, chips, we’ve added frozen beverages and introduced pizza.”
Mr Kilderry said there would be a gap in new-release films at some point due to the halt of film productions during the pandemic.
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“We’ll fill in the gaps with films that have been released previously and retro films – all of the favourites,” he said.
“But, we do have some big films to look forward to this year including Mula n, Wonder Woman 1984 and the new Fast and Furious.”
Mr Kilderry said the drive-in, which opened about 20 years ago, attracted more than 400,000 patrons every year.
“We offer family-orientated outdoor entertainment at an affordable price of $30 for a family of five,” he said.