States That Offer the Most Drive-In Movie Theaters
The film industry has already taken a huge hit during the coronavirus outbreak, with 120,000 workers out of a job so far, according to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
Movie theaters around the nation are closed, and many movie releases scheduled for March and April have been postponed.
As Americans practice social distancing, one type of movie experience is making a comeback, according to the Los Angeles Times: drive-in movie theaters.
The nation's approximately 300 drive-in theaters allow patrons to remain in their car, without having to interact with other customers. According to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, there were 305 drive-in theaters in the U.S. with 549 screens as of October 2019.
New York (49), Pennsylvania (45), Ohio (44) and California (44) offer the most drive-ins, according to the association.
Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana and North Dakota didn't have any drive-in theaters as of 2019.
While none of these states appear to have banned the use of drive-in movie theaters specifically thus far, The Los Angeles Times reports that some drive-in theaters have closed down, while others have remained open.
The White House has advised Americans to limit social gatherings to 10 people or fewer, and to 50 people or fewer for the next eight weeks. Doug Mercille, who owns the Starlite Drive-In in Cadet, Missouri, told the LA Times that it's a "gray area" as to whether drive-in theaters should be considered gathering places.
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"I don't think we fit into the gathering category personally because all the gathering places are places where you are confined with a bunch of people," said Mercille, whose theater remains open. "At the drive-in, you've got to be in your own car."
But for those who'd like an alternative to a drive-in theater, Americans will soon be able to watch Universal Pictures' new releases from home for a fee. "Trolls World Tour," for instance, will be released on April 10.
And on March 15, Walt Disney Company released Frozen 2 early via Disney+ subscription streaming.
Casey Leins is a staff writer for the Best States section of U.S. News & World Report, where she writes about innovative solutions to problems plaguing the states. She came to U.S. News as an intern in 2014, joined the News team as a web producer in 2015, and was part of the team that launched the first Best States ranking in 2017. She was selected to attend the McCormick Specialized Reporting Institute workshop held by the Poynter Institute in 2017, and previously worked as a writer for the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business and the Howard County Times. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park. Follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at cleins@usnews.com.
