A New Future for Drive-in Movie Theaters?
BY BECKY TAN
Cinemas closed in Germany the
first part of March. Hamburg was no
exception, and members of the Film
Group no longer received invitations
to film press showings in order to
write reviews. Luckily, five members
were able to attend the 70th annual
Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin,
which ended on March 1, just before
closures terminated all movie-going.
Now, going to the movies is taboo.
Or as film critic Anthony Lane wrote
in The New Yorker Magazine, “In
the olden days, which, according
to historians, ended a few months
ago, people used to do the strangest
things.” He refers to hugging, giving
handshakes, “going out for a drink,”
and even “making out.” He ends,
“No activity from that far-off period,
however, seems as inexplicable as
this: humans went to the movies.”
Yes, we all went to the movies,
which have been around since 1895.
However, times of dire stress seem
to open paths to new creativity, and
movie makers have come up with
something new: drive-in movies! You
and a friend sit in isolation in your
car and enjoy a film! What a great
idea!
Naturally, there is a history of
drive-in movies; supposedly, the first
one opened in 1933 in New Jersey.
The first German drive-in opened in
1960. In the last few years, Germany
offered 10 to 18 drive-ins (depending
on different sources). This has now
jumped almost four-fold within
weeks. Suddenly, there are 60-70
drive-ins throughout the country,
according to different sources. They
hold up to 500 cars and seem to be
sold-out most of the time.
Hamburg’s drive-in history is rather
slight by comparison, with only one
which opened September 30, 1976,
in Hamburg-Billbrook. It had 580
parking places (later reduced to
490). I was already living here at that
time, but I never knew that Hamburg
had a drive-in theater. It closed June
18, 2003, for environmental reasons.
“...times of
dire stress
seem to open
paths to new
creativity and
movie makers
have come up
with something
new: drive-in
movies!”
In this stressful time, Hamburg
is still lagging. Although there is
one small drive-in for 30 cars on
private property at Kreativquartier
Oberhafen (Stockmeyerstrasse 43),
it only opens about once a week, and
is also always sold out. In summer,
there are outdoor showings in front
of the Rathaus and at the Altona
Museum courtyard, but people are
not sitting in cars.
Luckily, our professional film friends
are eager to change this situation.
Matthias Elwardt of Zeise Kino is
working with the Bergmann Gruppe;
Felix Grassmann of Abaton could
work with Karsten Jahnke, who
organizes concerts; Hans-Joachim
Flebbe of Premium Entertainment
(connected to eight cinemas in
Hamburg) and Bernd Aufderheide,
the head of the Hamburg trade
fairs (Messehalle), could imagine
a drive-in. Schanzenkino 73, at
Sternschanze 1, has featured
open-air cinema in the past, and
Dirk Evers of the company Outdoor
Cine plans tan extention to involve
cars. His portable plastic screen can
be easily transported and blown
up to the appropriate size. You feel
you are watching a movie on a huge
white plastic bag. These organizers
visualize locations such as soccer,
carnival, or racing fields, e.g., the
HVV Stadium, Heiligengeistfeld,
Horner Rennbahn, Bahrenfelder
Trabrennbahn, or somewhere in the
HafenCity. They could be venues for
other events such as live concerts,
church services, or even weddings.
In spite of having legally applied
for building permits, all were
rejected for various reasons by
the Hamburg public authorities
(Behörden). Now, according to the
latest news, we might be sitting in
the drive-in approximately the time
this magazine comes out. Matthias
Elwardt of Zeise and Thorsten Weis
of the Bergmann Gruppe have
received permission to set up two
screens at Heiligengeistfeld and
40 In Hamburg