The outdoor sector of exhibition gathers in Kissimmee, Florida, for the 16th annual United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association Convention 24 BoxOffice ® FEBRUARY <strong>2016</strong>
JOHN VINCENT PRESIDENT UNITED DRIVE-IN THEATRE OWNERS ASSOCIATION Interview by Danial Loria We had a record year at the box office in 2015; how was business for drive-ins across the country? I daresay even better, percentage-wise. When you have family movies that really hit, like Minions, Inside Out, and Jurassic World, it really does send many drive-ins over the top. What are you going to be covering at this year’s convention? We’ll be focusing on marketing, especially social media and in-theater marketing. For years we had to center on digital cinema because that was the main thing: getting the deals done. Now that we’re on the other side of that, we’ve chosen to try to take the convention and focus on something different every year. Last year we covered concessions and had Larry Etter from Malco Theatres and the National Association of Concessionaires. The concessions stand is quickly changing in theaters around the world; is that change also reflected at the drive-in? Just like McDonald’s will always have burgers and fries, drive-ins will always do well with comfort foods. Many of us over the years have experimented with salads and the like, but it’s kind of fallen flat. We do recognize, however, that in today’s society there is a more heightened awareness of things like gluten-free. There are some drive-ins that are leading the charge in trying out some new menu items, but at the end of the day the brass tacks of money is always going to come from comfort food. What are some of the biggest trends you’re seeing in the drive-in business? We’re seeing more dabbling in alternative content. A couple of drive-ins did the [Grateful Dead’s] Fare Thee Well concerts. A couple of drive-ins are experimenting with sports events when they can get the licensing. We’re definitely going to see a lot more in that direction. We’re seeing success in that area, and it will probably continue to grow—maybe we’ll even see studios come up with some of their own alternative-content events in the coming years. Now that we have the digital projectors, it opens up a lot more possibilities. Some drive-ins are even experimenting with gaming nights during the off-season. We do have to emphasize, however, that most of our revenue does continue to come from first-run Hollywood movies. Like our indoor counterparts, we absolutely don’t want to see the release window collapse. Now that the digital conversion is mostly realized, what are some of the biggest concerns on your agenda? The window is such a big concern for us. There needs to be that incentive for people to come out. Most of us are a little more sensitive on the summer season, with some big summer films opening as early as May when not all drivein locations are open. Other than that, it looks really good for drive-ins. We had a very successful summer. There’s this negative connotation out there that drive-ins don’t work and that’s simply not true. It is tough to make it work in a smaller market with a $50,000 projector, and we’ll probably lose a few in rural areas to that, and it’s sad and I hope this is only temporary. It remains to be a great concept, when people talk about the resurgence of drive-ins, I always say that it bottomed out in 1987—that was the worst year—and it’s been a fairly solid business since the early ’90s, the resurgence actually started back then. Driveins are a great way to watch a movie, it’s a great option for families, and we also think it fits with Generation Z. There’s been some talk about what this latest generation wants, about being looser on restrictions on cell phones, and that’s exactly what drive-ins can offer. Are there any specific regions where you’re seeing a surge of interest in drive-ins? We’re seeing some growth in the South in places like Texas. The fair-weather states will probably be preferable for new builds. Let’s face it, the land is expensive these days, so many people will try to make the most out of it on a year-round basis. I think that’s where most of the growth will continue to happen, but there’s still good news in other areas: one just reopened in Bangor, Maine. If there’s one area of the country where we’ll see a lot more growth, I would say the southern parts of the country where you can really make the numbers work. What’s the current state of the drive-in? We work hand in hand with NATO and appreciate the help we get from them and our distributor partners. We’re all happy to be in this business. We do this with a passion. Most locations are locally owned and operated, but there are also some drivein chains out there. We’re also seeing some midsize circuits pick up some drive-ins, and I’m happy to see that as well. It’s nice to see some of these medium-sized players getting into the space. FEBRUARY <strong>2016</strong> BoxOffice ® 25
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