Three local drive-in theaters, all owned by Chakeres Theatres, chose not to open this summer because of the large expense — digital projectors range in price from $100,000 to $150,000.
The iconic grassy gravel lots, once fields of everlasting nostalgia for community members, will be empty at Melody Cruise-In in Springfield, the Skyborn Cruise-In in Fairborn and the Wilmington Drive-In this summer.
Chakeres Theatres did not intend to close these locations for the summer, according to general manager Mark Booth, but they were forced to do so because of the hardships associated with the digital revolution that has occurred in the film industry over the past three to four years. As 35-millimeter film reels have been pushed aside for digital film, drive-ins across the country simply have not be able to afford the transition.
Chakeres converted its Melody 49 theater in Clayton to digital, a switch that cost over $150,000 and it is open this summer.
“We did not want to do all four drive-ins at the same time,” Booth said.
Dixie Drive-In, located at 6201 N. Dixie Drive, has been in operation continuously since 1957. Since switching to digital two years ago, Dixie’s attendance has risen and its revenue has experienced over 30 percent growth, according to Greg Dove, president of Levin Service Company, which owns the outdoor theater.
He would not give specific revenue numbers.
“Three or four years ago, the film industry announced that they were going to be heading to all digital, and that they were going to be eliminating all film,” Dove said. “At the first notice of this we began discussing how we were going to move forward, and we began our research in switching over to digital.”
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