The drive-in is giving indie films a box office boost

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Indie films and drive-in theaters don’t usually go together. Drive-ins need the big movies, the ones with superheroes and superstars, to draw substantial audiences. So it was a little surprising when “ The Wretched,” a supernatural horror flick with no stars, earned nearly $70,000 from 12 drive-in theaters on its first weekend.

In just two weeks, the IFC Films release has made over $200,000 from drive-ins alone, some of which are only open on the weekends for a single showing a night. And it’s been available to rent at home the whole time. In pre-pandemic times, it would be considered a solid opening for the IFC. In the current climate, it's a big hit.

The pandemic has forced many in the movie business to get creative with release dates and strategies. For most, that’s meant delaying things a few months or more. But IFC Films found a silver lining in the drive-in, a theatrical experience uniquely suited to social distancing that also needed new films.

“The interesting thing about this moment in time is that anything is possible!” said Lisa Schwartz, the co-president of IFC Films and Sundance Selects. “We saw an opportunity early on to continue to entertain audiences with drive-ins and thought ‘The Wretched’ had the right DNA for the big outdoor screen.”

Drive-ins were never part of their strategy before, but since theaters around the country shuttered and the theatrical release calendar has been basically wiped clean until mid-July, IFC has released a half dozen films at the drive-in, including “How to Build a Girl,” “Swallow,” “The True History of the Kelly Gang” and “The Other Lamb.” But “The Wretched” is by far the best performer so far.

“There is zero downside for IFC,” said Movie City News editor David Poland. “No one who is going out to a...