“It’s either this or shut down,” Chancey said. “Because it could be that later this year, film is going to go away.”
He estimated that only 15 percent to 20 percent of drive-ins nationwide have converted, whereas 90 percent of theaters overall have done so. The Danbarry in Middletown recently converted to digital, as did the AMC theater in Hamilton.
That makes the drive-in, already a rare thing, even more of an endangered species.
“I think we’re going to lose some drive-ins, because it’s a huge expense. Individual, family-owned drive-ins are going to have trouble,” Chancy said.
The Holiday’s digital conversion cost about $70,000. Chancey was able to fund it through savings from his five years of running the drive-in, and through a small loan.
Unlike physical film, digital movies don’t degrade over time with spots and scratches. An added benefit of the digital setup is that it makes it easier for The Holiday to put on specialty shows, like the annual “Terror at the Drive-In” event where multiple classic horror movies are shown.
“The great thing this is going to let us do, is we can do live events if we want because we can put satellite TV through this system. We can put a Blu-Ray player through it, and the great thing about that is, we like to play retro movies, lots of which were no longer available on film,” Chancey said.
The Holiday is also still able to play its vintage intermission shorts thanks to a USB plug-in, he said.
Customers at The Holiday said they’re pleased the conversion will allow the drive-in to stick around.
“I love being outside and watching the movies,” said Tiffany Butler of northern Kentucky. “It’s just different than in the theater. Kids can play and do whatever and wear themselves out, then when it’s time to watch the movie, they’re quiet in the back seat.”
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