The Honeywell Foundation’s 13-24 Drive In theater in Wabash is set to begin its season to 50% capacity this weekend with a showing of Trolls World Tour.
The drive-in will require vehicles to sit six feet apart, using poles in the lot to help measure distance. Patrons are also asked to purchase tickets and concessions online in an effort to maintain “limited-contact ticketing.” Visitors who intend to sit outside of their cars in lawn chairs will be asked to stay in the front or back of their vehicles, in order to respect the six-foot distance.
Afla Irani is the vice president of hospitality with the Honeywell Foundation. He says the venue will stay vigilant to make sure movie-goers are keeping their distance.
“We have a limited amount of people we’re allowing into concessions, as well as the lines," Irani said. "We have a flow as to how to stay six-feet apart so that people are standing the appropriate distance from each other. As far as the entrance and exits go it’s always one go in, one go out so people aren’t criss-crossing.”
Irani notes a similar system will apply to restrooms, while closing them on a regular basis to sanitize them.
The venue will open at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday instead of its usual 8 p.m., to allow patrons to adjust to these changes. Trolls World Tour will air at nine, after sunset. Since it isn’t a new film and is released for home video, the theater will only charge $6 per carload and forego its usual pricing.
While the film schedule only extends into June for now, Irani says the Honeywell Foundation intends to use the drive-in space for other purposes throughout the summer.
“We do something called our Plaza Series; we have local bands come in and people will bring their chairs and sit down, relax, enjoy some live music," he said. "So we have actually moved that to the drive-in this year, and that’ll go from June 10 to July 1.”
Irani says the 13-24 Drive In will resume showing new films when film distribution ramps back up. Their current lineup is scheduled into June:
- Trolls World Tour - Friday, May 22; Saturday, May 23
- The Secret Life of Pets - Friday, May 29; Saturday, May 30
- Despicable Me - Friday, June 5; Saturday, June 6
- Dolittle - Friday, June 12; Saturday, June 13
