DOUBLE FEATURES AND EXHIBITION PROGRAMMING CHOICES BY DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATRES
DOUBLE FEATURES AND EXHIBITION PROGRAMMING CHOICES BY DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATRES

Summary/Abstract: The exhibition of pairs of movies (double features) is no longer common at indoor theatres, but remains so at drive-in theatres. Given that most drive-ins have either one or two screens, they need to be more focused in their exhibition choices than indoor theatres and multiplexes that have many screens. To understand the film-programming choices of drive-ins, I collected data on the films exhibited at drive-ins during the summer of 2015. Most double features were new releases or, at least, films released within the last 30 days. When drive-ins exhibited double features they typically placed the new release first – presumably as it would be the movie patrons would be most interested in seeing. Drive-ins with two screens typically only offered a new release along with a less recent release on one screen as part of a double feature, and two less recent releases on the other screen. Drive-ins also tend to pair movies with similar ratings together. If a movie with a higher rating is paired with a movie of a lower rating, the more “adult” movie appears second. This is likely an attempt to make the first offering more family friendly.

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