Last take for nostalgic drive-in

Cineplex entertainment closes outdoor theatre

As much as it’s a disappointment, few are surprised the Odeon drive-in will be rolling its credits.

“It’s not really unexpected,” said Jade Pearce, who frequented the drive-in annually during the summer months.

Pearce and his girlfriend, Cara Olinkin, drove all the way from the other side of Winnipeg to see movies on an outdoor screen.

“It was something different, somewhere to go where you weren’t stuck in a building,” said Olinkin.

In her teenage years, she worked at the Famous Players theatre in Kildonan Place mall. Although the theatre was only a 10-minute drive from her house, Olinkin and Pearce took the 40-minute drive around the perimeter to visit the drive-in at least half a dozen times each year.

Now if the couple wants to see a movie outdoors, they’ll have to drive twice as far. There are only three remaining drive-in theatres in Winnipeg, the closest of which is in Morden.

“It’s really disappointing,” said Olinkin.

Cineplex entertainment has threatened to close the theatre every spring for several years now due to poor attendance. The efforts of passionate theatre-buffs were able to sway the company’s decisions, especially after a petition signed by 11, 000 people was brought forward in 2005.

But the stability of the theatre was short-lived. When attendance plummetted again in 2006, the drive-in’s imminent closure loomed closer.

Company spokeswoman Pat Marshall told reporters attendance has “fallen off quite dramatically” in the past two years.

She said business dropped 45% last summer despite good weather and a solid line-up of blockbusters.

Pearce and Olinkin were surprised to hear the numbers had dropped so drastically.

“You had to go early if you wanted a specific spot,” they said.

“Every time we went there it seemed to be full.

“And we weren’t just going on weekends- it was during weekdays too,” they said.

Marshall said the theatre would have to serve 1,000 cars a night to make it viable for Cineplex.

The Odeon drive-in opened in 1964 and has been a Headingley landmark ever since. The theatre was a popular destination for young couples going on a date, or as a nostalgic evening for families to enjoy together.

“There was a big mix of people,” said Olinkin, who added it was nice to go somewhere that didn’t cater only to a specific demographic.

“There were families that brought their kids in pyjamas, but there were teenagers and middle-aged couples as well,” she said.

Pearce, who owns and manages a Winnipeg business, said it’s too bad the theatre company saw closure of the drive-in as its only option.

“Instead of just shutting it down, why don’t they sell a part of the land and have a smaller capacity?” he said.

“Their taxes would go down, and there would be more of a supply and demand, which would give it more of an exclusive feel.”

Marshall said Cineplex’sdecision is final one and there’s no way the company will change its mind.