Drive-in cinemas launch in the UK so we can socially distance and watch movies

With pubs, theatres and restaurants closed until further notice, summer 2020 isn’t going to look exactly like we’d imagined.

But where one social space closes, another opens – London is getting yet another drive-in cinema so that we can socially distance and watch movies.

The Drive In, as it’s so aptly named, will launch on 4 July in the newly-launched Troubadour Meridian Water site in Enfield, before moving across the country to 12 cities in the UK.

Inspired by the home of drive-in cinemas (the US) it will offer everything you’d expect – from ‘roller waiters’ to Milk Duds, and classic films.

If you’re concerned about coronavirus, you needn’t be. The cinema has been created with social distancing in mind and there are measures in place for a no-contact experience.

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Cars will be required to park two metres apart, movie tickets will be scanned through closed windows (or organised by number plates) and cinema-goers can order their snacks through an app, which will then be delivered to their car by the waiters on wheels.

As for the movie selection, there’s a range of classics such as Dirty Dancing, The Terminator, Shawshank Redemption, Bad Boys for Life and La La Land, for those who fancy a singalong.

You might also be able to watch pre-recorded theatre shows, though details have not been announced on the pop-up’s website yet, as well as play bingo, watch stand-up comedy and take part in a silent car disco.

Tickets cost £35 per car (and there’s no limit on the amount of people in your car, but stick to your own household until government rules are relaxed, please).

NHS workers can also score free tickets.

After the pop-up is finished in London, it will move to Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Brighton and other major cities in the country.

But The Drive In isn’t the only cinema of its kind in the UK.

The Luna Cinema has also announced the launch of an outdoor cinema, which includes a bespoke speaker system and food and drink services.

‘With its immediate separation from other audience goers, drive-in cinema is the perfect solution to get people back to the big screen,’ says George Wood, founder of the pop-up cinema company.

‘[In the past] we were unsure of the quality of the sound experience when running through an FM frequency into the car radio, but we’re confident we have cracked it with an incredible in-car wireless speaker solution.’

Dates and movie choices haven’t been released yet, but you can sign up on the site to receive more information when it becomes available.

Additionally, Cinestock is also currently putting together a socially-distanced indoor drive-in cinema, as well as an in-car comedy festival.

The pop-ups are due to launch soon, but there are actually existing drive-in cinema locations already, such as Moonbeamers in the borough of Basildon, Essex, Woodside Drive-In in Birkenhead and Nightflix in Colchester.

However, many of these have temporarily closed, but it’s worth keeping an eye out as they might soon reopen.

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