LA GRANGE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The movie theater industry has been through several changes in the past few years, including adjusting to the public's access to streaming services and navigating pandemic closures.
Just this month, AMC announced it will change its ticket prices based on seat locations. In late January, Regal Cinemas said it would soon begin closing 39 of its theaters nationwide. Locally, Village 8, which operated for decades in St. Matthews, closed in July 2022. In Hardin County, two movie theaters closed in 2022, including one in Radcliff and other in Elizabethtown.
Just this week, a popular drive-in theater in Simpson County, known as the Franklin Drive-In, announced on Facebook that it sold and will no longer operate as a drive-in.
The owner of the Sauerbeck Family Drive-In in Oldham County, which opened nearly five years ago, said despite any challenges they've faced, he has no plans of closing down. Instead, he hopes to grow in the future and expand with two screens on the 30-acre property.
"I think there's still a bright future for drive-ins," said Stephen Sauerbeck, owner and operator of the family drive-in. "They are rare but they aren't going anywhere."
Sauerbeck said theaters survived the rise of VHS tapes and DVDs and believes the experience of going to a see a movie will remain, despite access to streaming online.
"That is the essence of the drive-in is the experience," he said. "It's more than just the movies."
Sauerbeck got his start in the industry years ago. He said his first job was at the Oldham 8, a local theater that eventually ended up as a Regal Cinemas location before shutting down about a decade ago. He said he closed that gap by opening the Sauerbeck Family Drive-In.
Sauerbeck just recently returned from an annual conference with the United Drive-in Theatre Owners Association, where he said the talks were positive about the industry. However, he also said there are now just 299 drive-ins left across the country.
"That's the first time it's been below 300," Sauerbeck said. "For people that have a drive-in near them, we always encourage people to enjoy it, to support the drive-ins in their communities."
Sauerbeck said there are fewer than 10 drive-ins left in Kentucky. He said there are several reasons for these closures, including increased land value that's led to people retiring. But he believes one of the biggest challenges drive-ins face today is the growth around them.
"Forty to 50 years ago, they built out in the countryside of towns and they had plenty of space, dark skies, great visibility for their screen and sound," he said. "And today, they're fighting traffic and noise pollution and light pollution."
Sauerbeck said where his drive-in is located in Oldham County, he does not believe he'll run into those issues. He said, eventually, he'd like to expand with a second screen on the property with more movie options.
Sauerbeck Family Drive-in near La Grange, Kentucky.
Still, there are other factors that make the business difficult. Sauerbeck said he faced challenges getting a loan to start the drive-in in the first place.
"It's a challenge to start a new business and get a large loan when 80% of the other drive-ins have closed in the last 50 years," he said.
Also, less than 30 days into its grand opening, Sauerbeck Family Drive-In suffered an unexpected setback when a storm destroyed its movie screen, forcing a brief shutdown until it could be replaced.
Rising prices are also another factor, which Sauerbeck said recently came to light even more during some inventory work.
"The oil we use in popping popcorn was $33 in January of '22 and it's up to almost $100 now for the box of oil we use," he said. "And, knock on wood, we have not increased our popcorn prices since we opened, and that's tough."
He said syrup for the soft drink machines has increased 40% in the past two years, among other cost increases.
"We are still cheaper than indoor theater for both tickets and concessions," he said.
Despite other closures or changes for indoor and drive-in theaters, Sauerbeck believes there is a great future ahead, largely because of the experience that families and individuals can't get elsewhere.
He also plans on airing this year's Super Bowl on the drive-in's big screen for guests to enjoy.
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