Ready to get back to the movies? Here’s how a central Pa. drive-in is preparing to open
Seventy years after it first began, the Super 322 Drive-In is still going strong — and even the novel coronavirus hasn’t stopped it.
While the global pandemic has shut down movie theaters across the state, a disappointment for many movie lovers, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office clarified earlier this week that drive-ins — such as the one in Clearfield County, between Clearfield and Philipsburg — will still be allowed to operate. Of course, that currently only goes for drive-ins in “yellow” phase counties, but Super 322 is one of the few drive-ins located in an area set to partially reopen Friday.
It’s also the closest drive-in to Centre County, about a 10-minute drive from Philipsburg and a 45-minute drive from State College. It’s currently the only nearby spot that Centre County residents will be able to watch movies, outside of personal computers and TVs.
“We want people to go out and have a good time, and we want to be extremely safe,” said co-owner Bill Frankhouser, who has owned the drive-in with his wife Barb since 2001. “That’s our goal.”
The Frankhousers are currently planning to reopen their drive-in May 15, with a number of changes designed to promote safety during the pandemic and as recommended by the United Drive-In Theater Owners Association (UDITOA). Vehicles will be asked to park at every other space, masks must be worn outside of cars, and the concession stand will serve takeout only.
The couple is trying to navigate all the requirements by using Clearfield County Commissioner Tony Scotto as a liaison between the governor’s office and the drive-in. And, so far, they’ve taken special care to make sure they’re prepared — and Bill was adamant customers shouldn’t expect an approach that’s lax in any way.
“Our rules will be strictly enforced,” the soft-spoken Bill added. “And, if anyone doesn’t abide by them, 322 is just right outside. They can hit the trail.”
According to the UDITOA, about 305 drive-ins remain in the U.S., but no state boasts more drive-ins than Pennsylvania’s 28. (New York also has 28, followed by Ohio’s 24. Five states have none.)
Based on Pennsylvania’s “yellow phase” counties, only six drive-ins around the commonwealth will be legally allowed to open so far. Among the closest to Centre County (within two hours) are Brookville’s Moonlight Drive-In (Jefferson County), Kane’s Family Drive-In (McKean County), Montgomery’s Pike Drive-In (Montgomery County) and Northumberland’s Point Drive-In (Northumberland County). Nearby Midway Drive-In in Juniata County remains closed, since it’s in a “red” county.
But as drive-ins open up for business, owners like the Frankhousers are still facing some big issues. Among the biggest: What movies will they play anyway?
Prominent studios, such as Paramount Pictures, have postponed their summer blockbusters like “Black Widow” and “Time to Die.” And that’s sent a number or drive-in owners scrambling. Some have posted on Facebook that they’re considering showing classic, or older, films. The Frankhousers said that remains a possibility for them — but they still have a good idea what they’ll do opening weekend.
Although no announcement has yet been made, and nothing is official, the Frankhousers said they intend to premier the Amazon.com movie “The Vast of Night,” a PG-13 sci-fi thriller that takes place in the 1950s, during drive-ins’ heyday. As part of a national promotion, the Frankhousers plan to charge 50 cents admission.
(Their normal rates are $8 per adult, $4 for children 11 years old and younger, free for children 2 and younger, and $13 for a permit allowing outside food/drink.)
The Amazon film, which has an 88% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, will run May 15-16 at drive-ins before showing up on Amazon’s Prime Video service May 29. Because of the promotion, the Frankhousers said their usual double feature will not take place opening week and there will likely be no film Sunday. The couple is also uncertain if they’ll have to run single films in the future.
Regardless, Bill and Barb — who spoke fondly of their own drive-in memories 50 years ago — are happy to be back in business. With the extra expenses of added safety features, such as plexiglass at the concession stand along with masks, sanitizer, etc., they’re just hoping to break even this season.
But more than anything, the movie lovers hope, their opening will help return a little bit of normalcy to a community sorely in need of it.
“We’ve been thinking about this since March 15,” Barb said.
