The Skyview Drive-In Movie Theater will open in Belleville will open for the summer season tonight, one of just a few movie theaters in the region open amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave the go-ahead for the Belleville drive-in to reopen for the year, with major changes for social distancing. The first night of business will be Friday, May 8.
Since Hollywood isn’t releasing any new movies right now, the drive-in will show four classics. The first screen will show “Goonies” and “Beetlejuice,” while the second screen will show “Grease” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
The drive-in will be open seven days a week. Admission will be $10 a person, down from the $11 of last year to minimize money exchange, and customers are asked to bring exact change.
“We have been cleared to open. This comes from the Governor’s office so it is for sure,” the drive-in posted May 1. ““See You Under The Stars (at last).”
There will be several changes to normal operations. The theater will operate at half-capacity with one car between each pole.
The concession stand will be closed to traffic, but a limited menu will be available on the patio — cheeseburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, bottled soda, water, and lemonade. Snow cones, coffee and hot chocolate will also be available on the patio.
The regular bathrooms will be closed but there will be twice the normal number of porta-potties which will be sanitized every 15 minutes, theater owners said.
“You might feel more comfortable wearing masks if you need to use the facilities,” the drive-in posted on Facebook.
Under the current stay-at-home order issued by Pritzker, anyone going indoors at a business is required to wear a mask.
Drive-in employees will hand customers trash bags and request that you bag up all of your trash and take it home with you.
“That way, our employees don’t have to risk cross contamination,” the drive-in posted.
Here is the schedule for May 8-14.
Screen #1 – The Goonies PG 8:15 and Beetlejuice PG 10:20
Screen #2 – Grease PG13 – 8:15 and Ferris Buehler’s Day Off PG13 10:15
Spots can still be reserved for nights the drive-in is open for an additional $10. To request one of them, send an email to skyviewdrivein@att.net and tell them which night you want to come, which movie you want to see, and whether you will be parking at an orange pole (vehicle taller than 5’2″) or a white one (vehicle 5’2″ or shorter)
