Glendale 9 is Drive-In Heaven

Well, this is good timing. Just as I was getting ready to tell you exactly how the Glendale (AZ) 9 Drive-In is Drive-In Heaven, the Arizona Republic sort of beat me to it. This will go better if you go read the article now, then come back and let me add what I saw.

Did you read it? Great. Now let me tell you some more about the place. The article says that the Glendale 9 was built in 1979, which would make it one of the world’s most modern drive-ins. Unlike most multi-screen drive-ins, the Glendale was designed from the start for this many screens; its central projector room services all of them.

That central projector room sits atop a central snack bar and arcade, all unusually spacious for a drive-in theater. Nearby there’s a playground, plenty of benches, and a beer cart. Woohoo! Another unusual feature is a row of roofs to shade a back row of cars. This is suburban Phoenix, and that’s got to come in handy during all those triple-digit summer days.

How about that landscaping? Everywhere I turned, I saw palm trees and flowering bushes (or are those trees) along the edges. The snack bar island had more little flowering bushes. Again, this is in the desert, so maintaining such touches can’t be easy, but they illustrate a commitment to provide a great customer experience.

I can’t speak to how busy the Glendale tends to be, since I was there on a Thursday night and left before it got dark, but I did get to see the nine freshly installed digital projectors ready to work. Considering the many estimates for how much one of those babies costs, the West Wind folks who own the Glendale probably had to lay out around a half million dollars, even if they got a quantity price break. The Glendale must be doing very good business to justify that vote of confidence.

The assistant manager told me the sad tale of the nearby Scottsdale 6, which West Wind ran until September 2011, when it couldn’t renew its lease. Unlike that case, West Wind owns the Glendale’s land, and it sure sounds like it’s going to be around for a long time. Thank goodness. I’d hate to lose my Drive-In Heaven.

GlendaleTwilight

SD drive-in picks up first-run movies

Mini-golf at the Starlite Drive-InThe Daily Republic of Mitchell SD recently gave us a brief glimpse of the Starlite Drive-In there. While a lot of theaters are worrying about switching to digital projection, the Starlite is looking forward to a different kind of upgrade – first-run movies.

“This will give moviegoers a chance to see new movies immediately,” said a news release from Logan Luxury Theatres, which owns the Starlite.

Some of the other improvements sound like fun. According to The Daily Republic, “The Starlite is working with Mitchell Technical Institute chef instructor Josh Kranz to add new, unique items to the snack bar menu.” They’re also rebuilding the 18-hole mini-golf course. Between that and the playground, the Starlite is giving me lots of reasons to arrive early. Check out its Facebook page for more photos of what it’s got to offer.

Sunset Drive-In (PA) opens May 17

Thanks to the Erie Times-News and GoErie.com, we’ve got this fun, silly bit of video about the Sunset Drive-In of Waterford PA. And there’s even a story about the Sunset that doesn’t just rewrite the dialogue from the video, so you still need to go read it.

Sunset owners Dennis and Margaret Koper have purchased and installed the new digital projection equipment, and now they’re trying to figure it all out in time for the season opener May 17. As with all the other drive-ins that have sprung for this expense, it’s a sign that they’re in it for the long haul. The article said that Dennis “expects a 15-year return on his digital investment.”

Dennis said it was this or retirement, and he jokingly blames his wife for deciding to keep running the drive-in. Now about that new equipment. “I don’t have any idea how to work this thing right now,” he said. “But we’ll both learn in time.”