Van Buren drive-in movie theater sells nostalgia and safety

The owners of 21 Drive-In near Van Buren, Missouri, aren’t yet sure what Gov. Mike Parson’s announcement reopening Missouri on May 4 will mean for their outdoor movie business, one of only nine drive-ins still operating in the Show Me State.

Parson’s decision doesn’t change the social-distancing mandate to keep at least 6 feet between people, which could create a temporary boon for drive-in theaters.

Given the continuing anxiety about the coronavirus, 21 Drive-In co-owner Jeff Riggs believes seeing a movie at a drive-in, in the short-term at least, may be a safer alternative to an indoor cineplex.

“Having someone close to you just doesn’t happen here,” said Riggs, 42.

“I think even when (indoor) theaters reopen, people will be hesitant to be boxed in with others,” he added.

Patrons await the dusk to see a movie at 21 Drive-In, near Van Buren, Missouri, in this undated photo.Photo courtesy of 21 Drive-in

Riggs bought the business, with a car park capacity of 700 cars, two years ago.

21 Drive-in, built in 1952, offers a traditional experience for watching movies in the night air.

“We still have functioning speaker posts, which most drive-ins don’t have now,” said Riggs, referring to the audio amplifier patrons can hang off their passenger side windows to listen to the movie.

“You can also hear the picture, with 5.1 digital surround sound, on your car radio,” said Riggs, who noted many patrons today prefer to turn up the volume and sit outside of their vehicles.

“You can’t go to a regular movie theater and build a blanket pallet in the back of a pickup,” Riggs said.

The drive-in owners are active on social media and their Facebook page has customers asking them to open early this season.

“Open early! Have an all-night pandemic special,” read one post.

Riggs said there is too much work to do to permit them to open before their projected 2020 debut May 21.

“We had some storms and we need to repair the big screen first,” he said.

Riggs said he doesn’t make any money from tickets, which are $5 on Thursdays and $8 on double-feature Friday and Saturday nights.

“Selling concessions, food, is the only opportunity to make a profit,” said Riggs, who is hoping Reynolds County will permit such sales, despite COVID-19 anxiety, by later in the month.

Riggs said that on Thursday nights he shows what he calls “throwback” movies, such as “Princess Bride,” “Jaws,” “Top Gun” and “Smokey and the Bandit.”

On one Thursday night, a black Escalade with Arkansas plates pulled into the drive-in, packed with passengers, he said.

“They drove here from Little Rock, not to do inner-tubing or fish in the Current River,” recalled Riggs, “but because they had never seen ‘Dirty Dancing’ on a big outdoor screen before.

“That’s an eight-hour round trip to see a movie.”

Like many drive-ins, Riggs operates an all-cash business and hopes to show first-run movies whenever he is able.

“When we had ‘Toy Story 4’ last summer, we had 500 cars here,” he said.

Riggs’ day job is as an assistant tool room supervisor for Mid-Continent Nail.

Riggs said his drive-in clientele is a mix of locals, seasonal campers and people who drive in from Poplar Bluff, his home, about a half hour away.

“About 10% (of my patrons) are from out-of-state,” Riggs said, noting he does have people come in from Cape Girardeau and Jackson occasionally.

Many drive-ins, Riggs said, closed for good four years ago when the motion picture industry moved away from providing film reels to strictly digital production.

“That’s a $100,000 investment right there,” said Riggs, who said the previous owners of the business, Cecil and Diane Price, bit the bullet and paid for the conversion.

“A lot of those closed drive-ins sold their real estate when they folded,” Riggs said, who added that his location in Garwood, Missouri, 8 miles from Van Buren, draws little interest from land speculators.

“We are a classic, old school drive-in,” said Riggs, “and we are selling nostalgia.”

“My two boys, 17 and 10, love the drive-in,” said Riggs, who said he hopes his business will buck the trend and survive.

“My dream is to one day have a festival here featuring local filmmakers,” Riggs said. “We’re not Hollywood, but some kids are really creative and have stories to tell.”

There are 325 drive-ins still operating in the United States, according to www.driveinmovie.com, far more than any other nation in the world.

The website states Canada and Australia, in second and third place, have 50 and 15 drive-ins, respectively.

“I’ve got plans and want to be in this (drive-in) for the long haul,” Riggs said. “But we’ll have to see, because the future is uncertain.”