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You may have seen this question on other forums, but here goes. Part of the reason few drive-ins have been built recently is zoning (ie- hard to get it). So now, I may have found a lot that's zonable and very good in many ways. There will be no surrounding development ever despite being close to town. Nice and flat, open land, drains well. BUT, the road is on the East side, meaning freeloaders if we place screen on the West border. If we put it on the North side, we've missed the sun, but traffic (very light mind you) and (fairly distant) light from town. So that puts us on the East border, backing the road, and now sunsets are an issue. Now, there is a 60-80 foot elevation hill behind us, so sun sets a little early, and really we're dealing with a brighter sky. What are the pitfalls? I've seen these "suncatcher" screens look fairly good when kept small enough, and we'd be around 50 feet or so. In some cases, I've seen screens facing sun actually open earlier than a much larger screen that didn't. I'm thinking they do this because it's harder to light the bigger screen? I find that in cases where a drive-in has one facing sun and one not, there's very little difference in when they'll start on each. I don't know what else to do. As my pal Barry Floyd has often talked about, it is VERY difficult to zone one of these....?

All I know is that I'd forget about the freeloaders and site it where it suits you best. A active screen is a great advertising draw. They may sit and watch good parts but think what they're missing. Sitting outside will only underscore that.

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Good point. Also, backed into trees, no ornate screentower is necessary. One problem though, a few times a year across the road is used for camping and floodlights are on, one weekend they bring in a midway, possibly bathing us in light. I don't think they ever will put up sports lighting, but there's a ballfield there too. Lots to think about.

Last wknd I worked a friend's Drive-In while he was out of town. His screen faces the sunset -- what a terribly bad idea. My bud bought it that way and really wants to move it. It pushes you farther into the night making it hard on the help and small customers. The help often starts too early because of the honking and the like. As far as I'm concerned, there is no way to justify holding off starting the movie . . . a lot of the customer's were less than amused. Unless placing the screen somewhere else will make it a target for passing headlights, face that sucker as opposite the summer sun as you can. The one advantage is it drive up the per cap in the snack bar!