After an extra two months in the dark, the projection booth will flicker back to life this weekend at the Wilderness Outdoor Movie Theater in Trenton, Georgia.
The drive-in normally operates April through September, but this year's opening was delayed due to coronavirus uncertainties and the extra safety measures that needed to be put in place, including limits on the number of vehicles allowed on the property and the number of people who can enter the concession stand and bathrooms at any one time.
"We've had to take out a couple of registers [in the concession stand] to make room for social distancing in there," said administrative assistant Clara Marona. "We've got all the prep areas ready with disinfectant - it has to be a certain kind - and [hand] sanitizer at the registers. We'll clean the bathrooms like we normally do. That's his pride."
Owner Don Marshall, she explained, has always been a stickler for clean bathrooms. On movie nights, an employee "will go in every 10 or 15 minutes to make sure everything is picked up and wipe everything down," Marona said.
Chattanooga's closest drive-ins have been in business for years - since 2005 for Wilderness, since 1960 at the Swingin' Midway Drive-in in Athens, Tennessee. They typically do steady business during the summer, but the closing of movie multiplexes in mid-March has cast new interest in drive-ins, where social distancing is built into the business model.
Basically parking lots with movie screens, there are an estimated 330 drive-ins still in existence, according to www.driveinmovie.com, which maintains a directory.
These days, movies aren't the only moneymaking option for drive-ins. Looking for ways to connect with fans while most entertainment venues are closed, some musical artists, including country singer Alan Jackson and contemporary Christian acts Newsboys and TobyMac, have moved concerts to drive-ins this summer.
In many cities, high school commencements have taken place at drive-ins. Wilderness hosted Dade County High School's "graduation celebration" this past Friday night. The seniors wore caps and gowns and watched a video of their achievements on the big screen.
"I have been involved in a lot of great school events over the years, but this may end up going down as my absolute favorite," said Principal James Fahrney Jr. "The students and their families were so appreciative of the hard work that had gone into planning and producing the event that it made it all worthwhile."
Still, as Hollywood's only big-screen option for the foreseeable future, movies will be the driving force for drive-ins this summer. That's not to say the outlook is certain.
The pandemic has shut down production and continues to prompt shuffling of movie release dates. Summer blockbusters need to open on thousands of screens to recoup their multimillion budgets. And even as states relax coronavirus restrictions, the big theater chains remain shuttered.
AMC Theatres, the Chattanooga area's largest chain with seven locations in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia, is streaming movies for home viewing, but has not announced plans to reopen theaters. Likewise, Regal and UEC are still in a holding pattern.
Drive-ins show first-run movies, but don't have the numbers to support the rollout of a blockbuster. Until the multiplexes reopen, there will be few new movies debuting. Christopher Nolan's science-fiction thriller "Tenet" had been touted as the tentpole for the summer movie season, but a second trailer for the movie, released this week, did not mention the previously announced July 17 release date, putting its future in question.
For opening weekend, Marona said, Wilderness will show films released in the first quarter of 2020: "Trolls World Tour" and "Dolittle" on the family screen, "The Invisible Man" and "The Hunt" on the second screen.
"We won't have any new movies until right around the first of July," she said.
Likewise, the Swingin' Midway is showing the 2001 classic "Shrek" as the lead-in to "Jumanji: The Next Level," released in December.
Officials at the Athens drive-in said they've been cleared to use each parking space, though the picnic tables and playground remain closed.
Wilderness will use every other parking space to allow for extra room between cars. The hillside, popular for families who'd rather spread a blanket than watch from the car, also will be open.
"You can save your circle," Marona said of the hillside's new social-distancing measure, but no more than 10 people will be permitted per circle.
Email Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Wilderness Outdoor Movie Theater in Trenton, Ga., shows double features on two screens every weekend.