Category Archives: California

LA Times profiles Rubidoux’s digital conversion

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Rubidoux Drive-in screenThe Los Angeles Times ran a great story last weekend about the digital projection conversion and the problems it is giving drive-ins in general and the Rubidoux Drive-In (Riverside CA) in particular.

I don’t want to bury the lead, so the good news is that the Rubidoux plans to make the conversion. We also learn that the Cascade (West Chicago IL) will also convert despite the failure of its Kickstarter campaign. Writer Laura J. Nelson sets this positive news in a grim setting, that the switch will be difficult for more drive-ins and fatal to some.

Nelson gives the best description of the economics of digital projection, including Hollywood’s plan and the special problems posed by the drive-in projection booth. That’s just another part of a great, sweeping article that touches on the history of drive-ins, its recent casualties, and the appeal of seeing movies under the stars.

If you’re a drive-in fan at all, you’ve got to check out the full article with its 19 accompanying photos. It’s also got two great graphs using United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association data showing the rise and decline of drive-ins by year and the current drive-in population by state. Go read it!

Kings is closed for the season, maybe for good

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As we reported recently, the Kings Drive-In (Armona CA) was suffering the effects of vandalism and was hoping to find enough support to keep going. Now there’s a new story from KFSN, Fresno’s news leader, that it may all be for naught.

The report says that switching to a digital projection system would require more than swapping in new equipment. “It’s an old building. They’d have to tear down this wall and rewire the whole building,” said the owner’s daughter, Catherine Graff.

Against that sad backdrop, the Kings has closed for the season, and the owners sound unsure but pessimistic about its chances to reopen in 2013.

Free movie night tonight!

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Ferris Wheel Sunset at California State FairFor one night, Thursday, September 26, the West Wind 6 (Sacramento CA) will offer a free movie night, according to the Rosemont Patch. It’s Superhero night, and the movies scheduled are Brave, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Amazing Spider-Man. (Wait, Brave is a superhero movie?)

Based on tonight’s schedule (same movies) at the Glendale 9 (Glendale AZ), and considering it’s also a West Wind drive-in, it sounds like they might be holding a free movie night too. Give them a call and check it out!