PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Cheltenham entrepreneur will attempt to revive the drive-in theater when he opens his venue in Chester County on Valentine’s Day weekend.
Jason Hunter said the popularity of pop-up drive-ins during the pandemic last summer convinced him the time is right to bring them back on a permanent footing.
Hunter has leased parking lot space from the owners of Exton Square Mall to accommodate 72 cars every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night beginning on Feb. 12.
He’s scheduled two showtimes, with the first movies starting at 6 p.m., and the second at 9 p.m. Guests can reserve their parking space when buying tickets, which is priced at $32 per car, through parkinglottheaters.simpletix.com.
Hunter has contracted with a nearby restaurant to deliver hot meals to cars. The traditional movie fare, such as popcorn and candy, will also be available.
Among the opening weekend selection of movies include “A Star is Born,” “The War with Grandpa” and “Tone-Deaf.”
Hunter is hoping to start showing first run releases sometime this summer.
His business opportunity is also a win for the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns the property. As stores continue to close, mall owners and developers have been forced to find creative new ways to develop new revenue streams.
David Wilk, a veteran real estate management consultant and Temple University professor, points to the old Granite Run Mall as one successful example.
“BET Investments were the developers of that mall and they basically transformed it into some apartments, different types of commercial uses, some educational uses and really took it from a traditional mall to a lifestyle based destination center,” he said.
Wilk believes mall real estate will always hold its value due to its location.
“Major commercial highway, major intersection. It has very permissible commercial zoning so you can put almost anything on it. And it’s not going anywhere,” he added.
Inside the malls, owners and operators are now making room for non-retail entities and creating event spaces.