In the Netflix era, fewer and fewer people are watching movies in theaters. Why pay $20 to sit in a sticky room with people too impolite to turn off their smart phones?
Some movie theater’s have started to pull out all the stops in an attempt to bring crowds back to the big screen. While the big theater chains are adding reserved seating, food and alcohol, and “immersive”events, August Moon has decided to take a step back to the 1960s with a Drive-In.
Created and designed by Michael Counts, the August Moon Drive-In is a $10 million project that puts a modern twist on an old classic. Unlike a traditional drive-in, you won’t have to worry about the weather at August Moon, heck you won’t even have to bring your car! “Essentially we’re building a soundstage,” Counts told Variety about his special project. “We’re building a set as if you’re going to shoot an outdoor scene in a movie, on an indoor stage.”
The August-Moon Drive-In will seat the audience in modified classic cars from the 1950s and 1960s with full bar and food service. There will even be a private “tree house” space for special events and parties. The entire theater is basically a set dressed to look like a beautiful summer evening complete with fireflies, trees with swings, grass, hammocks, sunsets, and a simulated starry sky projected onto a 40,000 square foot air-supported dome.
This innovative new theater will open in Nashville, Tennessee and will be the largest non-IMAX movie screen in North America. Movie-goers can expect to pay $8-$20 depending on where they are seated. The experience includes time to explore the stage before and after the film. The theater can seat 350 guests and will show 18 screenings each week. The screen can also accommodate an interactive background experience for live performances.
Currently August-Moon is on track to open in the spring of 2018 with a mix of first-run films and timeless classics. It will be located at the intersection of James Robertson Parkway and Interstate 24 near Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. If the theater is successful, Counts will expand his project to include more locations both domestically and abroad.