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SALT LAKE CITY — Many movie theaters have reopened across the state of Utah; but despite precautions, not everyone is yet comfortable with the idea of sitting in a room with strangers for more than an hour — or with wearing a mask for that long.
The coronavirus pandemic is reinvigorating drive-in movie theaters across America, and the Utah Film Center will try to capture some of that magic in the coming months will a series of "pop-up" drive-in movie screenings in northern Utah. The organization announced the first slate of films on Tuesday, covering dates through the end of August.
Utah Film Center executive director Patrick Hubley said the movie lineup is designed for "a wide variety of audiences so people from all walks of life can feel the warmth of connection again." The selections include classics, comedies, documentaries and collections of short films.
"There will never be a substitute for the feeling you get when you gather, in-person, with other people, to watch a movie," Hubley said in a news release. "Now more than ever, Utah Film Center believes that the communal film experience can provide much needed human connection and provide a delightful escape."
Gates will open at 7:30 p.m. for all screenings, with films starting "at dusk or just after 8:30 p.m.," according to the news release. The center asks that patrons stay in or near their own vehicles and wear a mask if they need to leave their space.
The screenings will occur in downtown Salt Lake City, at the Alta ski resort and in the Midvale Fort Union area. Here is a full lineup of the pop-up drive-in films through the month of August:
- Aug. 20: "Apollo 11" at Land Cruiser Heritage Museum parking lot, Salt Lake City
- Aug. 20: "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," Belgian Waffle and Omelet Inn parking lot in Midvale
- Aug. 21: Mountainfilm on Tour: Big Green World Program, at Alta
- Aug. 21: "Tesla" at Land Cruiser Heritage Museum parking lot, Salt Lake City
- Aug. 21: "Galaxy Quest," at Belgian Waffle and Omelet Inn parking lot in Midvale.
- Aug. 22: Mountainfilm on Tour: Indomitable Spirit Program, at Alta
- Aug. 22: "Ernest & Celestine" at Land Cruiser Museum parking lot, Salt Lake City
- Aug. 23: Mountainfilm on Tour: Adventure Program, at Alta
- Aug. 27: "Stop Making Sense" at Land Cruiser Museum parking lot, Salt Lake City
- Aug. 27: Mountainfilm on Tour: Adventure Program, at Belgian Waffle and Omelet Inn parking lot in Midvale
- Aug. 28: Mountainfilm on Tour: Big Green World Program, at Belgian Waffle and Omelet Inn parking lot in Midvale
- Aug. 29: Mountainfilm on Tour: Indomitable Spirit Program, at Belgian Waffle and Omelet Inn parking lot in Midvale
- Aug. 29: "Song of the Sea" at Land Cruiser Museum parking lot, Salt Lake City
The drive-in program is scheduled to run Thursday through Sunday through mid-October and additional titles will be announced periodically at the Utah Film Center website. Tickets are $25 per vehicle, or $20 for Utah Film Center members, and must be purchased in advance.
