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Primarily due to the temporary closure of cinema theaters, Kochi is getting her first drive-in cinema. Its organizer's ads are all over my FB feed and I see many excited people commenting on these ads. I can see there are people looking forward to have their first drive-in cinema experience. Some of the things that I thought about when I saw these ads were:

1) In a humid place like Kochi, doesn't matter if the windows are rolled up or down, if you sit in a car with AC turned off for more than 5 minutes, it gets hot, you start sweating and generally things become very miserable unless at least two of the car doors are kept fully open. I believe viewers will have to keep the engines running with AC turned ON.

2) Audio will be transmitted through FM, that way the audio will reach the viewers through their car's speakers. So, if car is not idling, it has to be at least in the ACC mode to keep the stereo running.

I don't have any experience with drive-in cinemas, so please pardon me if the questions appear noob.

How detrimental it is for the car if the viewers are expected to idle the car with AC ON for over 2 hours (the movie they are screening is Bangalore Days which is actually a 3 hours long movie). One can say that it would be okay since it is only one time, but it aches my heart when I think about keeping my car stationary with engine running and AC turned on for 2 or 3 hours.

I googled and came across this news post which says that in Thailand, the drive-in cinema offered AC pipes to the viewers to keep the car interiors cool.

In cooler parts of the world where the viewers may not need the car's AC, wouldn't the 2 hours ACC mode with stereo on drain the battery down?

After landing in the 'Gelf' I can pretty confidently say that idling doesn't add a lot of wear and tear to the engine, it is the cost of the fuel and the pollution that should be more concerning.

Here is the oil rich countries of the Middle east, where fuel is still priced on the lower side, and the heat is on higher side, I have seen plenty of cars idling away to glory and most of them have serious miles on the odo.

From the latest cars to old gen beaters like Nissan Sunny and Mistu lancers, they are all idling while waiting outside tea shops, in drive in cinemas, while at parking...etc etc. I haven't been here for long, but I can definitely say, they don't see idling the same way we see it in India. Here, it is something the car can do, must do and will do effortlessly.

Maybe, this is also one of the reason, the recommended oil change interval for many cars half of what is stated in the owner's manual.

Police cars and ambulances idle even more, the ones on stand by are always ON. The police cars at traffic lights are always on, AC in full blast. They idle away during the morning and evening rush hours, that is like 4 hours every working day, just at the designated traffic light area. And they run a couple of lakh Kms before being handed down to other depts or remote areas.

Bottom line, cars can handle idling, lots of it.
(Precondition: Cooling system is functional, engine is in good running condition, ample fuel in the tank.. :D)

I'm sorry but isn't it harmful to sit in the car for long hours with the AC on? Doesn't it lead to Carbon Monoxide poisoning?

Also I believe the fun in watching a movie in a theatre is the overall screen and sound effects. With a lot of dust and pollution in the air, will watching a movie in the open have the same experience as an actual theatre. If your car music system is just a basic one, you will not even get to experience the good sound effects.

Apart from an open air experience, What else does an open air theatre offer ?

I would rather watch the movie at home on a big TV screen. Maybe that's just me :)

Since the cinemas are closed down, this provides an opportunity to get out and see a film with other people, even if everyone is in their cars.
I imagine this will be a good place for young birds ;)

Similar ones open in dusty but now cold gurgaon too. However now that normal theaters are open here not worth imo to spend so much on a drive in except for the novelty. Hours of idling will waste a lot of fuel to add to price. Also audio through radio will be really low quality along with poor visibility unless you own a fortuner or a big SUV. The only advatage is getting our own snacks and beverages to enjoy.

My wife grew up in Barbados, West Indies. They had and still have a real drive in cinema. Luckily a better climate. People will park their car, roll down the windows and let the sea breeze through.

My kids loved it. We used to go with a couple of friends. All the kids would pile into the back of the pick ups. We would put mattresses in. At the cinema we would park reversed, so the kids would sit / lay in the back facing the screen. Couple of coolers with drinks, crisps. And of course we would buy rotti’s from the cinema cafeteria.

We would bring little deck chairs and sit next to the cars. Up till about ten years ago they still had the little speakers on a pole you had to park next too. Since they broadcast on FM, which is better, unless you are watching from the back of the pick up!

I love going to the cinema and drive in’s are just so special. When we lived in Kansas City there were two nearby as well. Great family entertainement. But I can only imagine what it must be like in very humid weather.

Jeroen

Chennai had a open air drive-in theater called "Prathana" on the ECR. I am not sure if it is still operating. This was in the early 90's and was quite popular. Shows were only in the evenings , i think 2 shows only (6 and 9PM). I myself was there only once on a bike along with mates from collage. It was a good experience, Rajni starrer "Thalapthi" . This was long before ECR became a toll road and was relaxing to ride after Thiruvanmiyur.

If it can happen in Chennai i don't see the problem with Kochi.

Dunno about humidity, but I have very fond memories of the drive-in theater we used to have in Bangalore till the late 80s, early 90s (I think). I believe there was one near Bannerghatta Road. Was a kid but I remember how exciting it was when the family drove in, got those heavy, clunky metal speakers attached to the car window (good thing we had Ambys and Fiats those days, I think my Maruti Swift's door would just fold and collapse if something that heavy was clamped on it today! :)), and the movie started. (I presume now there will be some sort of small bluetooth speaker given to each car.) We kids would have great fun running around the cars, playing in the darkness while the movie played in the background. I guess it's not meant for serious movies where you have to follow every bit of dialog. I recall watching Toofan and the Ramsay Brothers' Purani Haveli! It's more of an entire fun experience kind of thing and I hope they make a comeback!

I believe they used to have shows really late to counter the heat factor. So perhaps that might work in places like Kochi.

I guess if you're the sort of person who doesn't get why someone would take a two day train journey from Bangalore to Delhi instead of a 2 hour flight, you won't get the allure of a drive-in theater either! (Or perhaps I'm just getting old! :))

+1. Have seen a lot of movies in this theater both in bike and car. In car, what we used to do was take a couple of small chairs, some mats and bed sheets and lie down in front of the car and view the movie. Apart from the mosquitoes, it was a very nice experience. There were speakers to the left and right of each car park space and it would belt out tone jarring sounds but the open night, breeze made it all a nice experience. And if the movie sucked, there was always an option gaze at the sky or take your kids to the nearby swings and see saws and play :). For masala movies, this is the perfect viewing experience, not so for the serious ones where dialogue was important

Prarthana is right now not working but it was till a year back. Hope they use this opportunity and upgrade themselves

Carbon dioxide maybe but not carbon monoxide.. you are probably referring to those cases wherein cars with AC on in enclosed spaces would have high levels of CO, but that isn’t the case in a drive in cinema.

I wouldn't mind going for a movie or two at a drive-in cinema, just for the experience and because we are car guys. But in today's times of streaming, cheap 55" TVs & Netflix on smartphones, drive-in cinemas are a stone-age concept. I don't think any will survive. Even in drive-in cinema country (USA), they suffered an apocalypse.

Plus, as Indians, we just don't have the civic sense in such a place. I would expect way too much noise from other cars, littering, no proper parking sense etc.

Thanks, but in Covid, I'll just watch my movies at home. Post-Covid, I'll go to my favourite cinema for the superior audio + video experience, comfy seats and tasty food.

Ahmedabad has a popular drive in called Sunset Drive In, and it is located on a road called drive-in road :). It is quite popular even now because the ticket prices are low- approximately Rs. 70 per head and something extra for the car. This is 1/3 of the multiplex ticket price even on weekdays.
People usually park systematically, but taillights turning on is sometimes a distraction.

The best part is that families can stay together during the film, enjoy home cooked food and not worry about getting angry glimpses from others if they are talking to each other. It provides a lot more freedom to the family.

A lot of tourist attractions in the UK have resorted to setting up drive in theatres during the summer months. They have huge open spaces and tied up with a movie franchise to get this done. This also helped them the tide over the reduced income during the Covid season.

For those wanting to watch a movie on these venues, an added bonus was the spectacular views in the background. Quite a few of the palaces and castles were those that had drive in cinemas.

This is the drive in / outdoor theatre at Blenheim Palace - take a look at the palace in the background. You might find yourself not watching the movie with a view like that:

Most of the movies I watched during 1999-2016 were at Prarthana drive-in on ECR. While the audio wasn't great, me & wifey loved the experience. And for me the added fun was the long drive from Choolaimedu & back.

The cars were parked on speedbreaker like humps with the front pointing up.
We would just get some chairs / mats that we would lay out in front of the car & watch the movies.

Would love to show kids the drive-in cinema experience at Kochi. Though I doubt today's OTT generation would find it a big deal.:)