COVID-19 is bringing back the drive-in movie theater (and people are very much on board)

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - With movie theaters shuttered due to the pandemic, the drive-in theater is seeing a resurgence.

All of Honolulu’s drive-ins have long since closed so one group decided to build their own — from scratch.

In the age of social distancing, movie theaters — the enclosed kind that we’re all used to — have been closed because of the pandemic.

That’s led to a comeback for drive-in movie theaters in the US.

And on Wednesday night in Kailua, there was an event in which people were able to drive up and watch a movie — just like the old days.

Organizers put it on as a fundraiser for the Pali lanes. And for some, it brought back a bit of nostalgia ... or at least got them out of the house.

“My dad used to bring my brother and I to Kam Drive In and I miss it and I wish they would bring it back," said attendee Camille Yano.

Added attendee Koree Bruce: “I’m just delighted to get out of the house and be able to do something. It looks like it’s going to be fun and Dodgeball is one of my favorite movies.”

Danny Casler, of My Kailua, said the event is a good example of people thinking outside the box.

“They decided to start small, with just 16 cars,” he said.

But they are looking to see if they can do something on a larger scale. There’s another event that’s scheduled by this group at Aikahi sometime about a week from now.

And that one, they say, will be larger.

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