Moviegoers kept their distance by staying in their cars Saturday night in Redcliff, where a drive-in movie night attracted more than 400 vehicles.--SUBMITTED PHOTO ROSALEE ANDERSON
It’s been 15 years since Redcliff’s Gemini drive-in movie theatre closed down, but for one night Saturday the town saw cars streaming in to an empty lot and keeping their distance.
Noting cheekily that steamy windows might mean you’d need to put down the window a crack, Redcliff councillor Chris Czember announced the special night not knowing what the interest level would be.
An estimated 400 cars and two feature films later, he can’t help but consider doing it again.
“Because it was so successful and everybody went by the rules so well, it certainly has crossed my mind,” said Czember. “I would like to check with the powers that be to make sure that they would be OK with it first and foremost.”
He did contact the local RCMP and Alberta Health Services to clear the way for Saturday’s event, and plenty of area businesses stepped up to fund the team from Fresh Air Cinema to come from Red Deer and set up the giant screen.
“I tried to make it more safe than a big-box store’s parking lot,” he said of the setup, which was right beside the aquatic centre. “You had to be six feet apart, our parking attendants parked you to make sure you were more than six feet apart. You go to a box store, you can go door-to-door and ding your neighbour.”
They counted 343 cars in the lot to watch Jumanji: The Next Level just after sunset. Many families with children left before the war film 1917 played later, but more cars showed up, which is why his estimate is 400.
RCMP told him there were no serious incidents to report either, paving the way for a repeat of the double feature.
“I was impressed with the turnout, grateful for clear skies, my granddaughters had their jammies, blankets and snacks,” wrote moviegoer Rosalee Anderson on Czember’s Facebook page. “A truly great experience for any age.”
The old Gemini – just north of the Trans-Canada Highway – closed in 2005. There have been pop-up outdoor movie nights in Medicine Hat in recent years, but the global pandemic may yet see a rebirth of the industry as a whole.
Brooks had initially scheduled a drive-in night but that was cancelled. That city is now dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, with 115 cases announced as of Monday.
