Paradise By The Drive-In Light

Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium intends to bring back the drive-in, along with a swap meet, in February as part of an effort to bump up revenue.

Under a plan recently approved by the Aloha Stadium Authority, movies would be shown in the parking lot on a 40-foot inflatable screen that would accommodate 3,000 people or 500 vehicles.

Stadium manager Scott Chan says moviegoers would be allowed to lounge on artificial turf in front of the screen or stay in their autos and listen via radio.

“We’re looking at other ways to generate revenues using the facility on the outside,” Chan told the Honolulu Advertiser. “One of the ways we came up with was to bring back the drive-in theatre.”

The monthly events would be the first drive-in movies in Honolulu since the Kam Drive-In movie theatre closed in September 1998.

The stadium property is owned by the state of Hawaii. Aloha Stadium Authority is working with the local franchisee of Fun Flicks to run the movies.

With the NFL’s Pro Bowl relocating temporarily to Miami, the plan could help offset the losses of the venue’s primary income from food and beverage concessions.

During fiscal 2009, which ended June 30, the stadium special fund had $8.03 million in revenues and $8.33 million in expenses, according to the Advertiser citing the department of accounting and general services. Another $1.5 million was transferred to Hawaii’s general fund to help balance the state’s budget.

The stadium authority reportedly also looked at dipping its toe into the concert pool but recognized the inherent difficulties in making any money in a new market, particularly at the stadium level.

“The market we’d like to capture is obviously the concerts, but we don’t control that market,” Chan told the Advertiser. “It appears that more of the entertainers are going to the smaller venues.”