WEEK 5 FINAL PAPER

Titanic Quarter's drive-in is a delight for young and old with movie classics Gardiner, Jenna . Belfast Telegraph ; Belfast [Belfast]15 June 2020: 8.

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FULL TEXT IT WAS an evening at the movies —but last night's showing came with some Titanic differences.

Set against the backdrop of the iconic Harland &Wolff cranes, more than 1,000 film fans parked on the waterfront

for the launch of Drive-In Cinema Belfast.

The city's tragic liner was replaced as the maritime star of the silver screen by a pirate ship as we parked up

alongside hundreds of cars in the city's Titanic Quarter to watch 1985 classic The Goonies.

A cinematic experience like no other, the 60-square-metre screen stood tall against the cranes, beaming the picture

across the field as the sound blared through the car radio for the ultimate socially distanced viewing.

Families and couples alike arrived to enjoy the American adventure family comedy.

The film follows a group of four young misfits as they set out to find the treasure of a long-lost pirate on their last

weekend living in their under-threat neighbourhood.

A noisy, high-energy and light-hearted watch, it was the perfect feelgood film for a sunny Sunday evening amid the

current doom and gloom of the world.

Among the spectators were diehard fans of the movie, Nicky Kells and Michelle Currie.

The couple, who travelled from Ballynure for the occasion, say they were glad of the excuse to leave the house and

have some sense of normality for the evening.

"We love The Goonies, it's one of my favourite movies. To see it on a big screen will be great," said Nicky (42). "It's

really strange that we haven't been able to get to the cinema in so long. So, it is nice to just get out; to do

something different is a novelty now."

Waiting patiently for the film to get under way, the Co Antrim pair praised the smooth running of the event, which

was organised by local firms Red Box Media Productions and MayWe, a Belfast-based event management

company.

Cars were positioned two metres apart in line with social distancing guidelines and the field was lined with

portable toilets for convenience, each one monitored by stewards and cleaned after every use.

"Even as soon as we pulled in we were impressed, it's been very well organised," Nicky said. "I couldn't believe how

clean the toilets were, especially for an outdoor event."

"The view is cracker with the screen positioned just in front of the Harland &Wolff cranes," added Michelle (47).

"The setting is just lovely." The couple say they are keen to return to the drive-in cinema should it continue when

the rest of normal life resumes.

Compared with those distant memories of my pre-Covid cinema trips, watching from the car was a convenient

experience.

While drive-in cinemas are a relatively new attraction to Northern Ireland, borne out of the pandemic, I was struck

by how nostalgic an experience it was to join hundreds of others to spectate from the car.

Perhaps that's down to the fact I've only ever seen it done in Grease, or due to the now-dated special effects of the

film, but the whole ritual certainly felt like a blast from the past.

One new novelty of the experience was the lack of distractions, with no coughing or sneezing, people using their

phones or pesky whispers to contend with.

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Accessed by radio, we controlled the sound and volume ourselves and could recline our seats as far as we liked.

Another plus for the spectators is that by attending the screening they were also helping in the fight against

coronavirus, with all profits going towards vital research at Queen's University Belfast.

Without any indication of a return date for conventional cinemas in Northern Ireland, the drive-in event offers a new

prospect for movie buffs across the country.

Around 1,200 cars attended throughout the day for four different classic movies, including The Lion King, Frozen 2

and Back To The Future, with an additional three films shown on Saturday.

Certainly a fun way to spend an afternoon, the event kicked off with an interactive quiz to test our knowledge of

The Goonies before the film started.

Afterwards, it ended with a round of applause —or rather, a honking of horns —as the credits rolled on the Steven

Spielberg classic.

? I was struck by how nostalgic an experience it was... the whole ritual felt like a blast from the past DETAILS

Subject: Motion pictures; COVID-19

Location: Northern Ireland

Company / organization: Name: Harland &Wolff; NAICS: 336611

Publication title: Belfast Telegraph; Belfast

First page: 8

Publication year: 2020

Publication date: Jun 15, 2020

Section: News

Publisher: Independent News &Media

Place of publication: Belfast

Country of publication: United Kingdom, Belfast

Publication subject: General Interest Periodicals--Great Britain

ISSN: 03075664

Source type: Newspapers

Language of publication: English

Document type: News

ProQuest document ID: 2412792412

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Copyright: Copyright Independent News &Media Jun 15, 2020

Last updated: 2020-06-15

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