Photo: www.onlyinyourstate.com/Facebook Eustis Drive-In Movie Theater
Drive-in movie theaters are quickly becoming all the rage around the country.
Lighthouse 5 will open as the world’s largest drive-in movie theatre in Eustis, FL once construction is completed. This five-screen drive-in cinema will not only be the largest in the entire world, but it will also have on-site restaurants, shopping centers and even camping.
Lighthouse 5’s Facebook Page explains that two to three screens would be dedicated to new Hollywood releases, one to two screens for old throwbacks, and one screen for film fests, indies, and rentals.
Lighthouse 5 has been proposed by the CEO of Veritas Theatres, Spencer Folmar. The first hurdle for the proposed theater was passed back in March, which is helping to clear the way for the build. The five-screen theater would sit on 72-acres on County Road 44 in Eustis. It is expected to take three years to build. And once it’s finished, it could earn a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.
While the build would happen in phases, according to Folmar, the first phase would start with the five-screen movie theater and then move on to the camping and RV grounds.
Since the pandemic, stocks of three major movie companies, AMC, Cinemark, and Cineworld took a hit. Most drive-in movie theaters sell their tickets online. Moviegoers are able to save tickets to their mobile devices and when they get to the gate, all they have to do is show the attendant their ticket for them to scan.
Just like indoor movie theaters, drive-ins have seen their fair share of ups and downs. The first drive-in movie theater opened on June 6, 1933, in Camden, N.J. Drive-ins had a great run well into the late 1950s. In 1963, there were nearly 3,500 drive-ins throughout the United States. The industry started to lose its appeal when televisions and multiplex movie theaters entered the scene.
Today, there are about 330 drive-in movie theaters in the U.S.
To find out more, please visit the Lighthouse 5 Drive-In Theatre website, or the Lighthouse 5 Facebook Page.
About Eustis, FL
Eustis is a relatively quiet lakefront town located in Lake County, FL. Residents get the peaceful daily experience of being near or in nature, while still enjoying easy access to important amenities such as hospitals and airports. In addition, there are many unique shops and restaurants located in Eustis, and nearby Mount Dora, and Leesburg.
The City of Eustis holds a festival every year which begins on the last Friday of February and runs through Sunday and has been held since 1902. This festival, referred to simply as GeorgeFest, is recognized today as the second longest ongoing annual event held in honor of George Washington, first President of the United States.
In addition, the City of Eustis features a variety of outdoor recreation including parks, watersports (kayaking, boating), fishing, outdoor events, and a wealth of other activities.
As the world continues to deal with the coronavirus, there’s no telling when people will feel comfortable enough to attend an indoor movie theater. To help fill the void, cities across the U.S. are starting to bring movies to the outdoors. In Florida there are seven drive-in movie theaters throughout the state. Most of them are located within the Tampa Bay area.
The community of Eustis is beyond excited and cannot wait to hear more about when the world’s largest drive-in theater will become a reality in Florida.
An opening date for the theatre has yet to be announced.
Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
