Incheon port city to operate free drive-in theater for moviegoers

By Park Sae-jin Posted : June 3, 2020, 17:04 Updated : June 3, 2020, 17:04

[Courtesy of Incheon City]

SEOUL -- In an effort to relieve social stress, the western port city of Incheon has arranged special treatment for moviegoers who cannot go to theaters because of social distancing that has discourages people from visiting multi-use facilities to avoid the infection of COVID-19.

Incheon said in a statement on Wednesday that it would hold free weekend drive-in theater events from June 6 through October 30 to screen popular Holywood films such as "School of Rock" and "Begin Again" and South Korean films including "Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds" and "Miss Granny".

A drive-in theater is a form of cinema that consists of a large outdoor screen and a projection booth. Portable wired speakers had been used and hooked onto car windows, but Incheon's drive-in theaters will send the sound on FM radio so that people can tune in using their car audio. There are about a dozen drive-in cinemas in South Korea. 

Incheon will set up the drive-in theater in its port that can house about 100 cars. Visitors are required to have their body temperature checked and disinfect hands with sanitizers at the entrance. Reservations can be made through the city's official website or a special website for the drive-in theater.

The event was organized to help citizens enjoy cultural activities without the risk of COVID-19 infection. The port city will hold extra screening sessions on Friday nights after checking the popularity of the weekend event. 
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South Korea's cinema industry suffered a crippling blow from the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of moviegoers in the first five months of this year was 28.5 million, down 67 percent from the same period last year. The screening of new movies has been put off while some films were released through over-the-top (OTT) video-on-demand (VOD) services.
 
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