I've now walked around behind the snack bar. The blue door is an exterior entrance to the restrooms which run across the back of the building. A projection booth will be added onto the second story to support the second screen.
I define a "traditional" twin screen drive-in as one in which the centers of both screens, and the centers of both projection booths, are all points on a single straight line.
This will not be the case with the Blue Moon. The second screen will be placed at what appears to be a forty-five degree angle from the center line of the projection booths and the original screen. In short, the second screen will be "off to the right".
The second screen will be placed at the extreme end of the cleared area in this picture. I would have liked to have gotten a picture looking back from the future screen location towards the snack bar, but it simply too muddy for me to make it across the lot.
The second lot should hold from 100 to 125 cars. That doesn't sound like very many; however, it will have a major impact on how the Blue Moon does business.
The general public may not be aware that many films require a multi-week commitment by a theater. Single screen theaters must either run the film throughout the commitment period or pay the minimum rental and show another film in its place. By having a second screen, the Blue Moon will have another venue for exhibiting films that require multi-week commitments.
Here is an example. Let's say the newest Captain Chicken movie requires a four week commitment.
With two screens, the film might be exhibited something like this:
Week 1 - Screen 1 - First Feature
Week 2 - Screen 2 - First Feature
Week 3 - Screen 1 - Second Feature
Week 4 - Screen 2 - Second Feature
Clear? I hope so! In fact, Rick and I believe that one of the reasons for the decline of the drive-in theater, was the requirement for multi-week commitments. We know this was a major factor in the failure of the Starlight Drive-in Theater in Schertz, Texas.
Here is a side view of the snack bar. Note how it resembles a barn. I like the look myself as it matches the rural environment around the theater. But this isn't the original design. Mr Curtis changed the look after he took over the property.
This is one of the pictures taken before the snack bar was upgraded. Notice the "boxy" design. I think you'll agree the current look is an improvement!
Once again, notice how the hill is terraced to provide parking spaces.
This picture was taken early on opening night from the balcony of the snack bar. If you look down towards the right side of the screen tower, you'll notice a small porch that isn't visible from inside the lot today.
I know I'm repeating myself, but check out the cars in the lot. Notice how each row is lower than the row before it.
Heading down the exit lane, we see the new Blue Moon marquee. The remains of the previous marquee can be seen to the right, near the road. If I recall correctly, the previous marquee was taken down after the road in front of the theater was widened.
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