The only Florida movie theater showing movies right now during the COVID-19 shutdown. Photo: www.news4jax.com/Google Maps
That’s right. The box office is now limited to only a drive-in movie theater in Ocala, Florida. Even in the midst of a pandemic, owner John Watzke refused to close down his drive-in theater in Ocala, citing wanting to help out his employees and people who want to get out the house as the main reason why.
Even as movie theaters across the country shut down to help slow the spread of COVID-19, Watzke and his small Ocala Drive-In theater continue to show new films and classics to moviegoers desperate for a night out.
The Ocala Drive-In originally opened in March 1948, but it was closed in 2002. Watzke comes from a long line of movie theater workers: his grandfather was a projectionist, as was his father, his brother, and now their sons. He used to go to theaters with his father as a kid, helping him repair equipment and learning the trade. Watzke said he’s been able to adapt to COVID-19 life fast by going to great lengths to ensure patrons’ safety while watching kid-friendly and not so kid-friendly movies.
He sectioned off every other parking space with rope and fencing so each car has 10 to 16 feet between one other. Visitors can order concessions online and an employee wearing a mask and gloves will deliver to their car, stretching out their arm to reach the driver’s outstretched arm so they can stay six feet apart. Watzke patrols to make sure no one with lawn chairs ventures out of their designated space; kitchen employees wear masks and gloves; food runners trash their gloves after delivering each order; trays are disinfected after each use; employees get their temperature taken at the start of their shift then again every three hours.
Usually, on Sundays, thousands of movie theaters around the country report their ticket sales, which are then translated into box office charts that are shared and analyzed by an entire cottage industry of journalists and experts. It is not unusual in 2020 for a major film to open on upwards of 4,000 screens in the United States, and for those major films to pull in tens of millions of dollars in a matter of days.
All of that has changed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Most movie theaters around the country (as well as the rest of the world) are temporarily closed in order to help slow the spread of the virus. As a result, all the blockbuster films that would have been released at the start of the summer movie season have all been pushed back until at least July or August.
Online streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are the only ones currently making select new releases available, and a handful of on-demand releases, but there are basically no “new” movies anywhere.
There are still some drive-in and makeshift theaters open. But Ocala seems to be the only one still showing new releases and reporting their grosses. The majority of drive-in theaters show repertory screenings of older or classic films.
Currently, the No. 1 movie at the U.S. box office is the Haley Bennett thriller Swallow.
Resistance
Weekend of 4/17/20
Estimated weekend gross: $2,150
Theaters: 1
Per theater average: $2, 105
Cume: $2, 150
Swallow
Weekend of 4/17/20
Estimated weekend gross: $2,150
Theaters: 1
Per theater average: $2, 105
Cume: $31, 306
William is the Managing Editor at FloridaInsider.com. His years of experience in journalism, broadcasting and multimedia include roles as a Writer and Web Producer. He graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science and Communication.