Hybrid drive-in in Athens AL goes digital

There was a short note in the Athens AL News Courier that mentioned that the Cinemagic Theater there had converted to digital for its five indoor screens and its drive-in. (The full story is floating around somewhere on that site, but only for paid subscribers.) The wording of that note sounded a little odd to me, so I looked up the Cinemagic in Google Maps, and the result is over there to the right of these words.

This is such a good idea that I’m surprised I don’t see it more often: The Cinemagic, which opened as a drive-in in 1997, converted or added a small indoor multiplex that swallowed the old projection and concession stand in 2006. From the look of the satellite photo, (you might have to zoom in to see it better), the Cinemagic is down to three rows for cars, and it stretched those rows extra wide. I don’t think I’d want to park in one of those far west spaces, but I think it’s great that this drive-in found an unusual way to stay alive.