Recently, The Family Drive-In Theatre in Stephens City, Virginia came under new management, and I had some thoughts about the experience that I conveyed to the new owners. Rather than write a formal review here, I’m simply posting the contents of the email:
Hi, just wanted to give feedback on the theater experience. I'll try to keep it brief, but my wife and I watched Iron Man 2/How To Train Your Dragon. The new ticket price is still a deal, so that is good, but what I most wanted to comment on is the "announcing" over the broadcast system. Please, if you really want to do a message like that, record it in advance, and keep it concise. It was some very boring rambling about the new ownership, the new website, patronizing the concession stand, and while all these points are worth knowing about, it seemed like 10 minutes. Record it early, keep it brief and upbeat. Also, the film cut out quite a few times in the middle. It would have been nice if someone came over the system and explained what was going on. Otherwise, same old theater, and I look forward to seeing more movies there. It is also a welcome change that you are bringing new movies, although an unfortunate side effect to that is increased wait times and longer lines. Anyway, just my two cents, thought you'd be interested.
And the reply (addended 5-18-10):
Thanks Jeremy for the feedback. We will attempt to keep announcements short. As for the projector cutting out, it normally doesn't do that--it was pulling the film harder than it should have been on one of the projectors and we had to adjust the film tension a few times to keep from damaging the print. look forward to seeing you again. Sincerely Jim Kopp Family Drive-In Theatre Stephens City, VA 22655 www.thefamilydriveintheatre.com
