COVID-19 won’t impact a summer staple: The drive-in movie theatre

It has been a Saskatchewan summer staple since 1954 and it doesn’t look like even COVID-19 can stop the screen from lighting up.

Twilite Drive-In in Wolseley has permission to open up in time for Phase 2 of the Re-Open Saskatchewan in mid-May.

“We sent a letter to our MLA and he took a couple of days to get back and he said by all means it’s one of the few places that people can get out for some enjoyment and entertainment where you can stay in your vehicle and not get out,” explained Don Zaba, the owner of the Twilite Drive-In.

But given the pandemic restrictions currently in place, the drive-in movie experience may look a little different.

“As of two weeks ago, we could have the concession open for takeout, but May 14 when we open up, some of the restrictions may be lifted so we can have concessions,” Zaba said.

But in order to operate with people remaining in their vehicles, Zaba said food orders will likely be delivered to individual cars.

It costs a lot of money to license the movies for the big screen and the economy has taken a hit from the impact of the pandemic, but Zaba has managed to find some way around that.

“When we open up in May shortly here, the film companies are going to get a bit of a break because there’s no new product that is available, so we are going to be playing older product that was released back a couple of months ago so hopefully our customers will patronize us,” Zaba said.

Trolls World Tour will be the first movie in the lineup, followed by My Spy.

The pandemic has certainly created a unique set of circumstances for Zaba, who took over from running the Twilite from his dad in 1982. But he admits there have been plenty of change over the years.

“We’ve been showing movies under the stars for a long time. We always had a job when we were kids, we were a family of 10 and the whole crew helped out. When we grew up, we got to hang out with friends and it was a night out,” Zaba remembered. “We switched over in 2013 to digital and it is quite a different picture then it was in the ’50s and ’60s.”

And while most movies are enjoyed through FM radio, there remains 30 or so old-time boxes that fit in the window if a customer wants an old-school experience.

Twilite Drive-In in Wolseley is to open May 14.