Walmart to Offer Free Drive-In Movies at 160 Stores

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 05: Cars park up to watch a showing of Jaws during a
Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Walmart announced that it will be offering free drive-in movies in parking lots at 160 of its stores. Filmmakers and surprise guests will also make appearances at some showings.

“Grab your popcorn! Walmart is lifting the curtain on plans for the Walmart Drive-in, a drive-in movie theater experience, which is rolling into 160 Walmart stores across the country beginning this month, created in partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival,” announced Walmart on Wednesday.

The retail giant said filmmakers and surprise guests will make appearances at select showings. The free drive-ins in Walmart parking lots will run from August 14 to October 21, with 320 showings of movies, such as Wonder Woman, Spider Man, Spy Kids, Friday Night Lights, Ghostbusters, The Wizard of Oz, and many more.

Walmart is promising “a fun, contact-free experience” for families who attend its movie tour.

“We recognize the challenges our customers and their families have faced over the last few months, and we wanted to create an experience where they could come together safely to create new memories,” said Walmart’s chief customer officer Janey Whiteside. “The Walmart Drive-in is one small way we’re supporting the communities we serve.”

Walmart appears to be taking advantage of the demand for drive-in movie theaters, which has surged in several states, as more people seek out entertainment from the comfort of their vehicles in the wake of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

What may be a mixture of coronavirus concerns and an appetite for nostalgia has caused pop-up drive-in movie theaters to appear in several states this year, including, Texas, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Georgia, New York and more.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram.

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