FOLLOWING the closure of the New Kingston Drive-in on August 28 due to a major decline in patronage, director and marketing manager of Palace Amusement Limited, Melanie Graham says the focus is now on the company’s other outlets to fill the financial gap.

“We are maintaining our equipment and if upgrade comes, we try to improve that. We do our usual updates on the plants that we constantly use. It’s kind of difficult right now because we lost so much doing the pandemic so we have to concentrate on paying back that loan,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

The other Palace Amusement Limited locations are Palace Cineplex at Sovereign Centre in St Andrew, Multiplex in Montego Bay, and Sunshine Palace in Portmore, St Catherine.

Up to May, attendance at the drive-in averaged 61 patrons per day, which plummeted even further in subsequent months.

Up to the half-year ended June, Palace’s financial data showed the drive-in cinema contributing approximately $38.8 million of total revenues which closed at $649 million at the end of the six-month period. Consolidated revenues across the indoor cinemas for the period, however, amounted to $545.5 million.

Graham said the seven employees of the establishment would be absorbed elsewhere, if they desired.

“If they are available, they will be relocated to the other locations,” said Graham.

She added that it was extremely difficult to cease operations.

“When we first opened, all the other cinemas were closed and there was curfew. We were able to open and it did pretty well. After the indoor cinemas and everything else basically opened up, we saw a decline. It’s always difficult to close an outlet. We never do it without really thinking about it and having sleepless nights over it,” she admitted.

The final movie at the drive-in was DC League of Super-Pets, starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. Ironically, Graham said the turnout was great for the final show.

“A lot of people came out one last time because they were saying they never experienced the drive-in. We were happy for that and we are hoping that having gone out, that they will continue to support Palace. Lots of great movies [are] coming shortly like Wakanda so we’re really looking forward to that,” she said, adding that the location was leased to them for use as a movie site.

The cinema, located on Dominica Drive, first opened in the 1980s and reopened in late 2020 as a response to COVID-19 which called for stringent social distancing requirements.

Meanwhile, Graham is not perturbed by the rise in online streaming platforms and their availability of films, because of the unique cinema experience.

“We find that going to the cinema is a dating experience, especially for the young people. We have seen people returning to the cinemas; and no matter what you do, you won’t have the same experience streaming it…The sound, the smell of popcorn, the ambiance… We are finding that people are returning to the cinema because it’s like a routine or tradition for them,” she said.