The Drive In Movie Theater

We go to the movie theater about once a year. Every time we go to the theater, I drop at least $30 on two tickets, a popcorn, and a pop. Ouch. So we limit it to about once a year. Last year was Transformers. This year was Iron Man.

But we still manage to see most first-run movies when they come out. But not at the theater. And not on bootleg DVDs. We go to the Drive In. And we love it.

The Swap Shop Drive In, Ft. Lauderdale, has 14 screens all showing first run movies. The tickets are $6 each. When we moved down here in 2001, the tickets were $3 each. We bring our own food: popcorn, candy, drinks (usually a cooler of "beverages"), and something for dinner - Papa Johns, Taco Bell, or Publix Subs. If we forget anything, they've got about 5 on-site concession stands and golf carts driving around with more concessions.

Did I mention that we usually see two and even sometimes three movies in one night? Such an extravaganza at the traditional movie theater would cost me upwards of $75.

We had our last vehicle, a Ford Ranger, modified to better suit our drive-in experience. We had the fixed rear window replaced with a sliding rear window. Our current vehicle selection was largely driven by our frequency for going to the drive-in. We bought a Ford Sport Trac because the entire rear window goes down automatically. When we go to the drive-in, we sit in the bed of the truck and line it with cushions, comforters, and pillows. It couldn't be more comfortable.

Another great aspect of the Drive-In is that you can see other screens while you are watching the movie at hand. This is a great way to get a sense of whether or not another movie might be worthwhile. Also, sometimes we'll watch a portion of a movie and decide that it sucks and switch to another movie.

Last week, we watched Wall*E, about an hour of Love Guru (it sucked), and Dark Knight. Next week, we hope to pair up Step Brothers with The Rocker. And two weeks after that, we hope to pair up Pineapple Express with Tropic Thunder. I will admit that I have high hopes for both Thunder and Express - they both look equally funny.