Drive-ins can open from the 29th of may, to the extent that the rules of distancing physics were respected.
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June 7, 2020 17h24
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The drive-ins one of the few opportunities to exit in Quebec
Jillian Kestler-D’amours
The Canadian Press
DORVAL — The two children of Keero Birla, Kishan and Darian, talk with enthusiasm of what to expect: in less than half an hour, after sunset, they watch their first movie at a drive-in park.
“Like everyone, we are thirsty for social interaction. When we heard the news, we jumped at the opportunity,” says the father.
The City of Dorval has organized two sessions of outdoor cinema in a parking lot in front of a shopping centre.
More than a dozen rows of cars were parked Friday night in the parking lot for a screening of the English version of Sonic the hedgehog. Some had brought camping chairs and blankets, others preferred to remain in their vehicle.
And several had not forgotten their own popcorn.
“The people are tired of stay at home and do nothing, explained Sébastien Gauthier, chargé de communication Dorval. I know that everyone was anxious to get out and do something interesting.”
The Ciné-Parc Orford, Sherbrooke.
Library The Sun
Dorval had sold the 160 places available. Cost of both screenings is $15,000.
Quebec has begun to move out of the confinement to which the COVID-19 had forced. Drive-ins can open from the 29th of may, to the extent that the rules of distancing physics were respected.
Mr. Birla remembers going to a drive-in park in Maine, years ago during family trips. He wanted to share the experience with his own children.
“I see a double function: they eat and drink, it’s relaxing,” he said. It is a kind of gift rare to be able to share this with the children and make them live an experience that I treasure in my own memory.”
While the projection of Dorval was a unique event, for the drive-ins are more established in Quebec, the rules surrounding COVID-19 mean that this summer will look like no other.
The real drive-ins
Drive-ins have long been in vogue in Quebec. Today, there remain only a handful, including one in Saint-Eustache, in the Basses-Laurentides. They must also adapt to the pandemic.
According to Brigitte Mathers, the president of the Group Mathers, who runs the cine-parc Saint-Eustache, the place has five screens and can accommodate up to 3300 vehicles.
Because of the distance, physical capacity of drive-ins has been reduced by half. Each vehicle must be parked more than two meters, one to the other.
“It is very complicated. Of course, it’s not going to be as populated, but there is nothing we can do,” she said.
Drive-ins are also found in front of the problem the lack of new movies since the shooting have also been interrupted due to the pandemic, says dr. Mathers.
This weekend, the cine-parc Saint-Eustache had to present movies released in 2018, 2019 and early 2020: Aquaman, Bloodshot, In front, The Trolls 2 : world Tour and a Liar.
Drive-ins can open from the 29th of may.
Library The Sun
“There is a (new) film, which comes out in July, discount, Ms. Mathers, but otherwise these are movies already released, because the producers expect that all the rooms open up to release their feature-length films. It’s a bit special this year.”
However, some of the smaller ciné-parcs du Québec hope that the lack of options during the pandemic, people will rise up in large numbers.
There are drive-ins in the Gaspé, in the Laurentians, the Montérégie and the eastern Townships.
“There are no festivals, there are no shows, the cinemas are still closed, this will bring a renewed interest in the ciné-parc”, advance Francis Pradella, co-owner of the Ciné-Parc Orford, Sherbrooke.
The ciné-parc two screens had to be reconfigured to accommodate up to 650 vehicles, approximately 85 % of its normal capacity, said Mr Pradella.
“The people who did not have the drive-ins on their radar are going to give us a second chance because there was nothing else to do.”
The city of Vaudreuil-Dorion has allocated $ 100,000 to install a drive-in, park in the parking lot of a high school for the summer. Scheduled to open in early July, the place will be able to accommodate 100 vehicles.
Mayor Guy Pilon hopes that the new attraction will give families a chance to be together something fun during the pandemic, and to enable the young generation to live the experience of watching movies under the stars.
