Culture | After the intermission

When cinemas reopen they will not be the same

Covid-19’s legacy will be fewer theatres, showing bigger blockbusters

THE LIGHTS are off in many Florida businesses. But after dark, the glow of the Ocala Drive-In’s 90-foot screen can be seen from a quarter of a mile down the highway. With half the parking spaces in its seven-acre plot fenced off to allow for social distancing, the Ocala has room for 240 vehicles—and it is full every night. “We’re the only thing going right now,” says John Watzke, the owner. Families sit out in deckchairs or perch beneath open tailgates to see a double-bill of “Trolls World Tour” and “Back to the Future” for $6 per adult (under-fives and pets go free). Mr Watzke decided to stay open because of his experience of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when “anything that brought a few minutes of normal lifestyle to us was appreciated.”

This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “After the intermission”

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