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| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Table of Contents 1. Why don't you show more family movies? 2. When you don't have PG or PG-13 movies, why don't you always run them first, with the R-rated shows later at night? 3. What movies will be playing the weekend of ...? 4. Do you still show the movies if it rains? 5. Can you pay with a credit Card or by check? 6. Can I buy Gift Certificates or Season Passes for the Starlite Drive-In? 7. Do you have any discounts for parties, students, military, seniors, special occasions, groups, or other events? Why don't you show more family movies? When playing family movies, indoor theaters do most of their business during the afternoon and early evening. Attendance falls sharply for family shows starting after 7pm. Sunday through Thursday this drop is even more significant than on Friday and Saturday. This is because shows after 7pm often conflict with the youngsters' bedtimes as well as the evening routines of working parents. Due to sunset times, the drive-in can't start the movies until between 8 and 9:30pm. This is why drive-in owners banded together and lobbied so hard against plans to initiate Daylight Savings Time in the 1960's. The knew it would reduce considerably the number of families attending drive-ins. And it certainly did. Daylight Savings Time is one one the reasons that 90% of America's drive-ins have closed. Years of experience have shown that if we have an extremely popular family film, such as The Lion King, we can do well on the weekends. However, "bedtime" causes business to fall considerably Sunday through Thursday, losing us enough money to sometimes wipe-out weekend profits. If instead of being extremely popular, a picture turns out to be more "average" (which is more common), we don't even do exceptionally well on the weekends, causing an even bigger loss for the week. We played Hercules in 1997 and this happened again, just as we feared it might. The problem is worsened by film companies requiring a minimum run of from two to four weeks on most pictures. Then we become obligated to run a family picture for all of those weeks at a loss. In addition to not being able to run profitable afternoon and early evening shows, as indoor theaters do, weather allows us to operate only about half of the year. We must maximize that short time in every way possible to stay in business. If we try to run family movies during the early- and late-season when we are open weekends only, the weather is likely to be cool or rainy, discouraging family attendance. The above circumstances have caused America's few remaining drive-ins to rely mainly on business from: 1. adults with no children 2. parents of very young children who fall asleep before the movie starts 3. parents who bring children to PG-13 and R movies, hopefully with appropriate guidance and communication to them about the content. (Many parents choose this option which is why we continue to advertise to families.) We truly regret that we cannot offer family movies except in rare cases. Besides making parents and children happy, it would increase our options, making our business easier to operate. Back to Top When you do have PG or PG-13 movies, why don't you always run them first, with the R-rated shows later at night? Often, we bring in PG or PG-13 shows to "fill-out" the main, newer program. As explained above, circumstances often dictate that the main program is PG-13 or R-rated. We are pleased when we get a movie combination with which our experience tells us it may work best to put the PG or PG-13 show first. In these cases where we feel it will be acceptable to most of our patrons, we do play the milder picture first, even if it is older. Back to Top What movies will be playing the weekend of ...? Often customers will ask what movies will be playing several weeks in advance to help plan for a special event or a visit to our area. While we sometimes have a general idea of the coming attractions, the exact show schedule for any given weekend is not finalized until the Tuesday before the weekend of interest. Please check the Coming Soon Page for movies playing the coming weekend. If you would like to be notified about what movies will be playing for the upcoming weekend, send an email to movieupdate@starlitefun.com to receive a report of the features and times. Back to Top Do you still show the movies if it rains? Yes. If the drive-in has opened for business, we will show the movies regardless of the amount of rain that we receive that evening. If, during the first half of our Feature Presentation, the rain is so severe that it completely prevents our customers from enjoying the movie, rain checks can be given to the customers at the managers discretion. There are no cash refunds once the customer has purchased a ticket. Back to Top Can you pay with a credit Card or by check? We accept VISA, Master Card and Discover at the snack-bar only. We do not accept credit cards at the boxoffice. Back to Top Can I buy Gift Certificates or Season Passes for the Starlite Drive-In? The Starlite does not currently offer Gift Certificates or Season Passes. We are also not currently offering in any discounted coupons. We do have special offers and giveaways on several of the local radio stations. Listen for details and offers. Back to Top Do you have any discounts for parties, students, military, seniors, special occasions, groups, or other events? The Starlite does not currently offer any discounts. We do have special offers and giveaways on several of the local radio stations. Listen for details and offers. Also, we give away a free pass for two to every customer whose ticket ends in 24. During the Early and Late Season Rate periods, you can bring an entire carload of people for one low price. Back to Top | Starlite Drive-in 3900 S. Hydraulic Wichita, Ks 67216 (316) 524-2424 |
