In an undertaking that has sounds a hell of a lot more complicated than just, you know, building a new drive-in, Variety announced today that plans are underway to build a giant indoor drive-in in Nashville. The project is spearheaded by Michael Counts, designer of immersive theater events in New York like intricate escape rooms and “The Walking Dead Experience,” because who wouldn’t want to pay cash money to get chased by zombies?
Counts doesn’t just want to build a drive-in, but a time machine to a drive-in in the 1960s. The upcoming August Moon Drive-in will serve burgers and milkshakes (as well as a well-stocked bar) as visitors climb into retro cars to watch movies, as in olden times. The largest non-IMAX movie screen in North America will be placed in a 40,000-square-foot, air-supported dome, featuring an “intricately detailed recreation of an outdoor space with grass, trees, hammocks, fireflies, sunsets, and the scent of meadow air.” The viewings will range from current releases to classics, on a set “tricked out” with technology to allow live performers to interact with the audience. It’s scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2018.
It sounds conceivably fun, like a living soundstage version of virtual reality, maybe worth the trip if you’re in Nashville. Or you could hunt down one of the 338 still-existing American drive-ins and breathe your own meadow air.