The Amusement Park Drive-In Theatre in Laurel is open for business, but moviegoers will not be able to view new releases at this time, according to owners Riley and Vickie Cooke.
“We are operating like normal for the most part,” Riley Cooke said Wednesday.
Like other Billings businesses able to open after Gov. Steve Bullock announced plans to reopen the state, the drive-in theater has implemented new sanitation guidelines. Riley Cooke says customers and employees have limited contact.
Drive-in theaters are among the only theaters open nationwide. National chains AMC and Regal Cinemas remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Riley Cooke says that while their drive-in is open, they are not able to show new releases.
“All the studios are reluctant to release their new releases to just us. They have done some on streaming, but they are holding their big product back until the indoor theaters have their chance at them too,” says Riley Cooke.
At this time there is no set date for when AMC or Regal Cinema will reopen. Other independent Billings theaters, the Art House and the Babcock, are planning to release their reopening plans later.
Vickie Cooke says Wednesday night they will be showing "Bad Boys for Life" and "Sonic the Hedgehog" at the drive-in. "Bad Boys for Life" was released Jan. 17, 2020 and "Sonic the Hedgehog" was released Feb. 14, 2020.
For more information on showtimes visit Amusement Park Drive-in theatre website at https://www.amusementparkdrivein.com/
