After a record-setting year thanks to being one of the few pandemic-safe entertainment options available while most of the world shut down, the Aut-O-Rama twin drive-in movie theater in North Ridgeville is ready to emerge from a brief winter slumber come mid March.
The Aut-O-Rama, like other drive-ins, thrived in the summer and fall of social distancing, even as few new titles were released by Hollywood. With specials like a Harry Potter-themed week, they combined the utter uniqueness of getting out of the damn house to do something with some nostalgic pleasures and popular, rewatchable films of years past.
During one week in June last year, for example, the
Aut-O-Rama was the fifth-highest grossing movie theater in the entire country, on the strength of a Jaws/Jurassic Park double feature.
Ohio boasts 24 drive-ins, trailing only New York and Pennsylvania for most in the nation.
