We have seen great success this year with our drive-in cinema movie nights. From our final film of the year ,Grease, to a visit from Simba in the lion King, to a very tense ‘Duh, nuh…..duh, nuh’ screening of Jaws so close to the South Shields shore ooer!

Being a spectator at one of our Drive-In movie nights was a piece of popcorn – all viewers had to do was slot their car into one of the allocated parking slots at Bents Park and then tune into the FM frequency provided to hear the movie. Simple but Genius!

We also had on-site kiosks serving food, drinks and snacks to add to the drive-in experience. Every movie was enjoyed and praised by all who came, with a real mix of ages attending each screening, showing the wonderful appeal of a night at the movies!  A real taste of the good old days came to South Shields and, with such great success in 2016, we can’t wait to get back to it in 2017 and set up some more screenings!

Now, here is a little bit of history for you too about drive-in movies. On 6th June 1933 the first ever drive-in movie cinema opened in Camden, New Jersey. The idea originated from Richard Hollingshead who had heard his mother complain time and time again about the struggle for comfort she faced when sitting in the traditional movie theatre seats. He then came up with the idea of an open air cinema where people could enjoy a good movie in the comfort of their own automobiles. After much experimenting, the drive-in cinema took off and had a run of success up until after World War 2 when they reached their peak.

However, in recent years the classic drive in cinemas have made a comeback and become a fun and inexpensive way for families, couples and friends to enjoy an evening of something different. This lead to the idea for our drive-in cinema.

Be sure to keep up to date with next year’s schedule for our Drive In Cinema through our website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Don’t forget that you can also book our cinema for your next corporate event of course!