Hundreds of movie-lovers brave the rain for drive-in opening night in Eastern Townships

Despite the forecast calling for thunderstorms, dozens of cars lined up outside the Ciné-Parc Orford in the Eastern Townships Friday night. 

And by the time the sun set and the movies started rolling, hundreds of people, undeterred by the bad weather, had their popcorn in hand and were ready for their first theatre experience in months. 

"It would have been nice to have a sunny day, but that wasn't in the forecast," said Ciné-Parc Orford co-owner François Pradella. 

"It feels good," he added. "Not everything is working 100 per cent, but we're pretty happy that we made it. It was really a marathon." 

Drive-in theatres got the green light from the province to reopen just a week before they could welcome guests for the first time this season. 

Pradella said he and his staff squeezed a month's worth of preparation time — including implementing COVID-19 prevention measures — into a week. 

Patrick Messier and his girlfriend Elise Blanchet are regulars at the Ciné-Parc Orford, and said the pouring rain didn't bother them at all. 

"I just stay in my car anyways," Messier said. "I've opened the back trunk and I have a mattress so we can just lay flat on it and just watch the movie with our pillows." 

Drive-in ideal for physical distancing, owner says

Pradella said even without the green X's marking the floor leading up to the concession counter, and new health and safety measures for the bathroom, an evening at the drive-in is the perfect family activity while physical distancing. 

"I think it's going to be a pretty busy summer," Pradella said. "There's not much going on, no shows, no festivals and movie theatres are still closed, so I'm pretty confident that it's going to be a good summer for drive-in theatres." 

Even with stakes planted in the ground to ensure vehicles are kept far enough apart, Pradella said the Ciné-Parc Orford can meet about 85 per cent of its capacity. 

"I think people are really looking forward to having something to do other than staying home," Pradella said. "You should see the phone calls we get each day now for the past week, and on Facebook it's gone wild too, so there is a lot of interest."

Océane Blair and her boyfriend Charles-Étienne Guilmette see movies at the drive-in about a half dozen times a season. 

Like Messier, they have the advantage of a hatchback setup, and didn't mind the rain. 

"I enjoy it, because obviously we can't go to the cinema, and we can't do much with everything going on, so this is a great opportunity to get out and see a movie," Blair said.  

Pradella said the drive-in theatre is also great for families, but whereas children used to have the freedom to run around and enjoy the on-site playground, everyone is now being asked to stay in their vehicles. 

Melissa Ledoux and her husband Rob Jamieson celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary with a date night at the drive-in. 

"We're out with no kids, no dog, just us two," Ledoux said. "Usually we come with the kids at least once, maybe twice during the summer." 

"I love it," she added. "It's just different from being at home, we can still be comfy in the car, the kids too, so it's nice to get out to see a movie out in the open."

Jamieson said they still plan to bring the kids this season even though they can't enjoy the pre-show games. 

"There's not much to do anymore as far as activities, so this is one you can still do," he said. 

Pradella owns another theatre in Magog, Que., but he took over the drive-in last fall. 

"It's been pretty rock 'n' roll," he said. "It's our first summer, so there are all the things that are new for us, and then you add on top of that the whole issue of the pandemic, so it's been challenging." 

The Ciné-parc Orford will show films that were in theatres before they were shut down, and likely won't run anything newer until July.