The last screening

On March 12, Ireland announced a partial lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus, including a ban on outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people. With indoor gatherings of more than 100 people also prohibited, Ryan O'Neill and Barry Clarke came up with an idea: expand their drive-in movie business to provide families with outdoor entertainment during the pandemic — while allowing them to remain safely inside their cars. Within days, arrangements had been made, extra staff hired and a new website launched. In almost no time, Retro Drive-In Movies was screening four films a day at three different locations across the country, compared with just one location previously. To make this possible, additional precautions were introduced to ensure physical distancing. Tickets were purchased online and scanned through car windows upon arrival. Vehicles were parked at least 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) apart. Staff directing drivers and securing the area wore latex gloves at all times, while portable toilet facilities were equipped with sanitising stations containing hand gel and wipes. “Under normal circumstances, we would have up to 400 cars attending each session and several caravans selling food and beverages. We try to create a mini-festival atmosphere,” said Clarke, the company’s general manager and a childhood friend of O'Neill. However, attendance was limited to no more than 150 cars per screening, with only one stall permitted to sell basic snacks, serving one customer at a time. But on Friday, as the number of coronavirus infections and deaths continued to rise in Ireland, the government introduced stricter measures, ordering people to remain at home except for limited essential reasons. After two weeks of sold-out screenings, Retro Drive-In Movies’ operations came to an immediate halt. “For now, this will be our last screening,” Clarke said. “But together, as a nation, we will defeat the virus and hopefully return soon with many more great nights of cinema.”