Aut-O-Rama Twin Drive-In Movie Theatre Plans to Re-open May 12th

Aut-O-Rama Twin Drive-In (33395 Lorain Rd., North Ridgeville), Northeast Ohio's long-running open-air movie theater, was recently given the go-ahead from the DeWine administration to restart business as soon as May 12th, albeit with new social distancing guidelines in place.

“We know people want something to do right now, and we hope we can provide a distraction for everyone,” owner Deb Sherman told Scene.

Boy will they ever.

As one of the few businesses that will offer safe outdoor entertainment, whether you're parked in a camping chair or inside your car, drive-in theaters are expected to be the hottest ticket around.

Aut-O-Rama, which is aiming for that May 12th date as opening night, will open with 50 percent capacity to start. Tickets will be sold online and so will concessions, allowing people to avoid person-to-person contact and simply pickup the items at the stand. Outside food and drinks will be allowed for the first time.

Sherman also said they’re taking additional precautions like limiting the bathroom lines and bringing in additional portable toilets.

Customers will not be required to wear masks but they will be strongly encouraged to do so when they are outside of their vehicles. Moviegoers will still be able to enjoy films outside of their cars, as long as they’re practicing safe social distancing. Employees will be required to wear masks.

Per usual, the theater will use one of their movie screens for movies geared towards children and families while the other screen will feature films for adults.

There aren't many new releases these days, so Aut-O-Rama plans on running some flicks that debuted earlier this year —  “Trolls World Tour,” “Onward,” “The Invisible Man” and “Bad Boys for Life” were four possibilities she mentioned — and will also continue offering weekly retro movies.

Expect sellouts, which isn't normally something you associate with drive-in theaters.

Sherman runs the business first started by her late-husband's family back in 1965. It was the first Ohio drive-in theater to offer two screens.

Check Aut-O-Rama's Facebook page for updates on opening night and future screenings.