Things could looking up for Africa's biggest cinema group Ster-Kinekor - more specifically, up on the roof.

Moviegoers in Johannesburg, who used to throng to screens inside the Sandton City mall - have, since the onset of the global health crisis - watched the latest releases via a drive in at the rooftop carpark.

For Katlego Nhlapo, it's better than social distancing inside a cinema that keeps you separate from whoever you went with.

"So this is nicer because of the vibe, you're able to still connect or kinda be with whoever you came with and the vibe is also different cause of like the city, the lights."

Drive-ins are enjoying a revival across the world but in South Africa the stakes are higher.

A slow vaccine rollout, the case across much of the continent, make a return to normality especially hard and leaves more businesses vulnerable to the risk of closure.

In January Ster-Kinekor filed for business rescue, a local form of bankruptcy protection, because of losses related to lockdown restrictions.

Acting chief executive Motheo Matsau says that after 15 months of lockdown, they're looking for ways to encourage customers to return.

"Internally, it gives us gauge both for ourselves and for the industry of the propensity for people to come back to cinema and the hunger or lack thereof that's still out there for cinematic experiences. And so, we tick a couple of boxes but basically I think this contributes a lot to what the outcome of the business rescue process could be - not only for us but it also contributes a lot to what the future of cinema could be or could look like."

Like its peers, Ster-Kinekor was forced to close from the end of March 2020 for five months.

Since August it has operated under curfews and with limitations on gatherings.

Through drive-ins Ster-Kinekor hopes, it can return to a more stable footing.