Port Hope Drive-In!

[TashaRVT]

Hey all! I'm hoping that some of my fellow Durham region citizens can help me out with some advice/info!

DH and I are thinking about taking the kids to the Port Hope drive-in this weekend - we've never been there before. Can anyone tell me how busy of a theatre it is? For example, how long before the start of the first movie starts do we need to get there?

Thanks!

 

[TheBig2na]

i have been before it was a fun experience. i would plan to get there 30-45 minutes early to get setup, grab some food and get a decent spot. There is a play area for the kids as well to run around before the movies.

 

[TashaRVT]

Thanks for the info! We'll be going tonight - hope the lineups aren't too bad!

 

[monkey30]

You are sooo lucky!

We grew up near the coral4 in Calgary, and I miss it! Once a month mom would made tons of popcorn, we stop at 7-11 to get big gulps, and off we would go in the van! Its a whole different experince, hope u enjoy it!

 

[TashaRVT]

Can you believe, ALL over their website, they make a big deal about not bringing in ANY outside food/beverages. They tell you that if you do, you'll be required to leave!! They even have an FAQ section on their website with this gigantic diatribe about why they have these rules, and why they rip you off to the extent that they do at the snackbar!!

There's even a big sign as you drive in that states, "this is not a campground or a picnic area..." I couldn't believe it! We just hid out chips and snacks under a blanket on the floor in the backseat; I was even worried that we wouldn't be able to bring in the Timmie's that we grabbed on the way!

 

[TheBig2na]

We took food in but bought some at the snack bar as well. They have to make a profit somewhere and the mark up on those things is always huge. so we struck a balance. My problem is i cant find two movies i want to see together.

 

[stefanospops]

We go to the 5-drivein in Oakville or the one right downtown at The Docks. We're usually too exhausted to stay for both movies. Like others, we'll usually bring in stuff that they don't have for sale there, but always get their popcorn and maybe a drink. Like a previous poster said, they do need to make money and what they get off the ticket sales is not enough.

The movie theatres have the same rules so why shouldn't they? The way I look at it is if everyone just brought their own food these places wouldn't make enough money to cover the costs of all the attendants, projection operators, movie royalties, etc. If that happens then they go out of business and I no longer have a drive-in to go to where my kids can fall asleep in their carseats before the movie starts.

Of course, if the theatres wanted to get creative, they could always charge a $5 fee and let you bring in as much food as you like, or something like that similar to a cork fee if you bring your wine to a restaurant.

 

[TashaRVT]

We took food in but bought some at the snack bar as well. They have to make a profit somewhere and the mark up on those things is always huge. so we struck a balance..

We did exactly the same thing Took in a couple bags of chips, but bought our drinks and a couple of other treats for the kids from the snack bar.