After a canceled summer season the Rooftop Cinema Club is back with a feature packed drive-in series at the Santa Monica Airport fit for moviegoers of all ages.
Local film fanatics will no longer need to venture east to get their cinematic fix, but can relax under the stars at the Westside’s newest and biggest drive-in. The spacious setting can fit 150 cars and, starting Friday Nov. 27, will screen multiple movies a night Wednesday through Sunday.
It will also host weekly community screenings dedicated to providing affordable tickets while raising money and supplies for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
“The Westside of LA is our home in the U.S., so we are thrilled to bring a venue to our backyard,” said owner and founder of Rooftop Cinema Club, Gerry Cottle. “The airport interim space is such an integral part of the surrounding community. I’ve personally spent a lot of time there teaching my kids to ride their bikes and enjoying the outdoors with family in a safe and socially distant way. I want to build on this community space by bringing open-air cinema here — it’s been a dream of mine a
nd now we’ve got the chance to make it happen.”
At the airport viewers will be met by a 52 foot movie screen and will be stationed up to 10 feet apart from other cars. Food and drinks can be ordered with a contactless service and will be delivered to each car.
The drive-in kicks off with a ‘We Love LA’ series celebrating some of the most iconic movies set in Los Angeles. This includes screenings of Grease, Friday, Clueless, Pulp Fiction, La La Land, and Love & Baseball during opening weekend from Nov. 27 to 29. Tickets range from $30 to $45 per vehicle depending on the occupancy and screening time.
This will be followed by a holiday movie series including classics like Elf, Home Alone, and the Nightmare Before Christmas. The drive-in will be decked out in the festive spirit and viewers are encouraged to decorate their own cars with tinsel and twinkle lights. The Cinema Club will also sell holiday decoration car kits and give out surprise prizes for the best decorations.
Every Wednesday there will be discounted community screenings at 5:15 p.m., where 100% of ticket sales will go to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Guests are also encouraged to bring their own food to donate at the venue’s food drive boxes.
“Community has been at the core of our drive-in venture since we opened our first U.S. drive-in back in May,” said Cottle. “With so many people impacted financially by the pandemic, we wanted to make a safe night out accessible for as many people as possible, and give back to the communities we’re a part of.”
Community screening tickets are $5 for a vehicle for two guests and $10 for a vehicle with three or more guests. Upcoming community screenings include Happy Feet on Dec. 2, Arthur Christmas on Dec. 9, How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Dec. 16, and Tangled on Wednesday Dec. 30.
So far the community screening program has raised over $40,000 to charities fighting for racial justice, supporting victims of domestic violence, and working to alleviate hunger.
Tickets for the airport drive-in are on sale now at rooftopcinemaclub.com/santamonica
