Drive-in movies light up Merced County. Local group brings mobile cinema to Los Banos
I told you drive-in movies were back.
Once a symbol of a bygone era, the drive-in movie has come roaring back in the Central Valley spurred on by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, its ensuing shutdowns and subsequent desire for safe family outings. Now a local group is committed to bringing the concept to Los Banos and beyond.
The Nightlight, a new mobile outdoor drive-in cinema and concert project, launched recently at the Los Banos Fairgrounds. Started by two cousins, one a valley native and one who spent his summers here growing up, the idea started when both saw their normal industries paused because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We were reminiscing about early childhood movie marathon nights and we got an idea to get a drive-in together,” said Los Banos native Gia La Salvia, who is spearheading the project along with cousin Brian Perry.
Drive-in movies returned to Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties last month, with success and sold-out screenings. The Nightlight held an invitation-only preview at the fairgrounds last weekend, and opened it public slate June 12 and 13, with the beloved childhood movie “The Sandlot,” a 1993 coming-of-age classic about a group of friends who spend their summer playing baseball together.
La Salvia works as a film producer in London, but when the coronavirus halted normal life and work, she returned to the region. Her cousin, Perry, works in construction in the Bay Area and also saw his work slow down. Together they have engineered a concept using shipping containers, available FM technology and the fairgrounds in Los Banos to recreate the classic drive-in experience.
The pair has partnered with the fair to lease the space, also giving the fairgrounds — which canceled its Spring Fair because of the pandemic — a needed boost.
They’re working with classic film and independent film distributors to bring in an eclectic slate of options. Other previously released older films they have on their schedule include “Forrest Gump,” “Die Hard,” “Talladega Nights,” “Clueless,” “Wedding Crashers,” and the entire “Toy Story” franchise.
But La Salvia said they also want to bring in indie options, which would help smaller filmmakers and distributors who have also suffered throughout the coronavirus shutdowns. And they’d love to see the concept expand to live concerts and first-run films as well.
“We’re thinking about new ways to distribute films and looking at how exhibition will work going forward,” La Salvia said. “This looks like it might be a good middle ground. We can have classics, independent films, live concerts. And we’re looking for other communities who want to duplicate this concept there as well.”
The Nightlight can scale-up its operation easily, too. They plan to start with 60 cars at the fairgrounds, which can be quickly doubled by adding a second screen on the back of the existing screen. They also plan to add more showings, depending on demand.
Tickets are $15 per vehicle (which includes the driver), and an extra $5 per passenger and can be purchased online or at the gate — though pre-purchase is preferred for total touchless entry. Children under the age of 5 are free and in future screenings they plan to add a family-pass.
Big Daddy,” will screen at 8:40 p.m. June 19 through June 21 at the Los Banos Fairgrounds Park, 403 F St. For more on The Nightlight visit its website at www.nightlighttheater.com.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 2:29 PM.
