Staten Island Is Getting A Pop-Up Drive-In Theater
July 19, 2019, 11:23 a.m.
The movies will be shown on July 26th, August 2nd, and August 16th.
Stardust Drive-in Theater, Route 9 NY, 1978.
Moviegoing in New York City has become more plush (reclining seats!), elaborate (food made to order and brought to your seats!), and, in some cases, private (hello, Netflix). But now you can enjoy a mid-century throwback for three Fridays this summer and show up at a good ol' fashioned Drive-In for your screen time.
Catholic Charities of Staten Island is showing movies at its Mount Loretto campus for "Drive-In Movies at the Mount." Vincent Ignizio, the group's CEO, told the Staten Island Advance, “We’re pleased to announce the newest event series on our campus. Drive-in movies are a unique experience and we’re looking forward to bringing the community together for some local fun this summer."
The series, which is sponsored by Staten Island Borough President James Oddo, is located at the parking lot. The movies, which start at 8:30 p.m., are: Captain Marvel on July 26th; The Incredibles 2 on August 2nd; and Avengers: Endgame on August 16th. Ticket prices are $25 for cars and $30 for SUVs; more details here. There will also be concession stands.
While drive-in theaters started appearing in the 1910s and 1920s, the first drive-in theater is considered to be Richard Hollingshead's, which opened in Camden, New Jersey in 1933. Tyler Hoffman, English professor at Rutgers-Camden, curated an exhibit about the theater last year, and said in an interview with South Jersey Times, "About 600 people came to the theater on opening night, June 6th, 1933. People were from 20 or 30 different states. It really captured the attention of a lot of people." Drive-ins also allowed customers to eat, smoke, and talk without bothering others.
If you've already seen these movies, you could check out these drive-in movie theaters within driving distance of New York—Warwick is pretty close!
