Elisabeth Moss is brilliant in The Invisible Man.
After six weeks of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Memphis-based Malco Theatres has announced that their Summer Drive-In theater will reopen on Friday, May 15th.
“Malco is very excited to open the drive-in and welcome our customers back”, said Malco President and COO David Tashie. ”We appreciate their patience and understanding during this unprecedented time. We would also like to thank the City of Memphis for allowing the drive-in to open, and while we will be implementing a program to provide 
driveinmovie.com
Malco’s Summer Four Drive-in
extra safety measures for our patrons and employees, we cannot wait for everyone to enjoy a night out watching movies on the big screen again.”
Drive-ins, of which there are less than 350 left in America, would seem to be the ideal venue for film during a pandemic, where social distancing is necessary to prevent mass death. Indeed, a drive-in in Florida has been the only theater showing first-run films in America since mid-March.
But the social distancing imposed by the automotive seating alone isn’t enough to prevent viral transmission, so Malco is implementing new pandemic measures to ensure patron safety. All employees will wear masks and gloves. Restrooms will be limited to a few people at a time, and will be cleaned on the half-hour. At the concession stand, the selections will be limited to prepackaged items, lines will be socially distanced, and other precautions will be taken.
The reopening-special admission price will be $20 per car-load, with all tickets on sale in advance via the Malco website. Admissions will be limited to 50% of capacity, so plan your visits accordingly.
There are no major studio releases currently scheduled to drop until at least the beginning of July, so the first weekend back will feature films already in the system before the coronavirus shutdown. The best film on the marquee is The Invisible Man, a thrilling reimagining of the classic Universal monster film by low-budget horror maestros Blumhouse, featuring a killer performance by Elizabeth Moss. (Read my review here.) The animated feature Trolls: World Tour, starring Memphian Justin Timberlake, will make its Bluff City big screen debut after pulling in a record $95 million in the video on demand market during the early days of the coronavirus quarantine. Robert Downy, Jr.’s Doolittle and the controversial, violent thriller The Hunt round out the other two screens in the four-screen facility. Tickets go on sale Thursday, May 14th.
Malco Summer Drive-In Reopens Friday, May 15 with The Invisible Man
