Who's Dominating Local And National Drive-In Movies? Spielberg!

MILLBURN AND CRANFORD, NJ — Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the theater.

Classic thriller films from the 1970s and 1980s that loomed large in the childhoods of Generation X are proving popular at makeshift drive-in theaters in North Jersey and across the country, providing socially distanced entertainment for families in the time of the coronavirus.

Director/producer Steven Spielberg's films are among the biggest draws. He gained a reputation for helming and producing hit films starting in the 1970s while only in his 20s, including "Jaws" (which he directed at 27), "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "E.T.," "The Goonies" and, later, "Jurassic Park."

A story the Hollywood Reporter last month noted that Spielberg films have been chosen for showings at both regular theaters and the drive-ins, an attempt to lure back theatergoers who had been isolating at home.

"Steven Spielberg Had the Two Highest-Grossing Films in the US Last Weekend," noted an entertainment website two weeks ago.

After the first two evenings of socially distanced drive-in movies in Cranford, New Jersey, in June — two showings of "Grease" — sold out quickly, the township added several more, which then sold out quickly, too. The next outdoor movies hosted by the Cranford Movie Theater were "Back to the Future," "E.T." and "Jurassic Park," at $25 per car. After they sold out in a few hours, three new movies were added July 4 weekend — "The Goonies," "Footloose" and "Jaws."

When released in 1978, the sequel to "Jaws" had a tagline that may prove appropriate for these times: "Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water."

In Millburn, NJ, the first five scheduled films included "The Goonies" and four more recent films, chosen by survey of the public: "Aladdin," "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids," "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" and "The Karate Kid" (making the summer a little less cruel).

The Boxcar company also has been offering drive-in movies in more than a dozen New Jersey towns. This past Wednesday, it showed "Jurassic Park" in Bernardsville.

Meanwhile, Cranford now plans to show "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Elf" and "The Secret Life of Pets" this week.

Why are 1970s/1980s thrillers looming large at these showings? Is it because Generation X, born in the 1960s and 1970s, is starting to raise their families?

Or is it because people want to focus on sharks and space aliens to get their minds off more realistic threats?

Doreen Sayegh, the owner of the Cranford Movie Theater, which had to close temporarily in March due to the coronavirus, had some thoughts after organizing the recent Cranford drive-ins at the Orange Pool parking lot.

"There's no new movies being released [in theaters]," she noted. "These pop-up drive-ins can't play them. Nothing is slated to come out until July, and they may be pushed back again. I work with the studios to see what movies we can and can't play. The studios have created these nostalgic 'drives,' hard drives, and they have all these really popular movies that are classics that people love and are feel-good movies. I put together a list of what I know the public will like and love and book with the distributors."

She said that films such as "Back to the Future," "Jurassic Park," "E.T.," "Goonies" and "Ghostbusters" have "die hard fans."

Coming up, she said, will be "Superman," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "The Great Outdoors." (The "Superman" showing will actually be a fundraiser for the Short Hills-based Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.)

"I think, with "Grease," "Goonies," "Jaws," there's something about those movies that people love, and they want their children to see them," she said. "Getting your children, your family to experience something you experienced, it brings you back to a certain time. That's the wonderful thing about movies."

Cranford Township Administrator Jamie Cryan said, "I’ve seen them hundreds of times, but I can’t change the channel when movies from that generation are on. There’s something about 'nobody puts Baby in the corner' or watching the Truffle Shuffle [from "Goonies"] that chases the worries away for a few," he said.

Sayegh said that the Cranford drive-in movies will now show five days a week. She hopes the program will be extended until at least Labor Day.

"Everyone's happy," she said, "and that was the goal, to put smiles on people's faces and create memories at a time when times are tough and we all need an escape."

For more information:

• Check this link for the next showings in Cranford.
• The Cranford Movie Theater is also offering private movie screenings and concessions such as popcorn, and was just renovated in fall. Click here to learn more.
• For more information on films in Millburn, click here.
• For information on Boxcar, click here.
• For more information on Gov. Phil Murphy's regulations for gatherings in cars, click here.

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