With the moviegoing business barely operating, Tribeca Enterprises is partnering with Imax and AT&T on “Tribeca Drive-In,” an entertainment series that will take place this summer at U.S. drive-in theatres and other venues.
“We’re excited to give people something to look forward to this summer and reinvent a classic moviegoing experience for communities to enjoy together safely,” said Robert De Niro, co-founder of Tribeca Enterprises and the Tribeca Film Festival.
The companies announced the initiative on Wednesday and said it will launch on June 25. However, they gave no details on specific locations or programming, other than saying it will include a curated selection of new, classic and independent films, as well as special music and sports events.
Currently, about 50 of the 306 drive-in locations in the U.S. are open along with about 25 other venues showing movies, according to box office tracker Comscore. Most movie theaters have been closed since mid-March to the coronavirus pandemic with the industry not expected to open again until mid-July. Warner Bros. is planning for a July 17 launch of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” and Disney has a July 24 opening of “Mulan.”
Giant-screen specialist Imax is on board the “Tribeca Drive-In” initiative and will utilize its digital re-mastering process to enhance the image and sound of all “Tribeca Drive-In” presentations. Imax will also collaborate with Tribeca Enterprises to curate the program, drawing from its library of Imax content.
“It’s in our DNA to bring people together through the arts, showing strength and resiliency when the world needs it the most,” said Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal. “At a time when people are eager to connect and convene again after months-long social distancing, we’re taking the spirit of Tribeca around the country by creating a safe environment where audiences can come together and enjoy the sense of connection found by going to the movies.”
AT&T Communications chief brand officer Fiona Carter said, “Distanced but not distant, we’ve never craved connection more than now, and AT&T’s continued support of Tribeca is one more way we’re helping keep people connected to each other, the causes and stories they love.”
“The popularity and resurgence of the drive-in theater shows that despite the fact that consumers have almost unlimited content available at home via streaming, they are literally driven to find that outside the home communal moviegoing experience that only the big screen can offer,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with Comscore. “It’s a testament to the ongoing power and allure of the theatrical experience and how people are seeking it out in any way they can.”