Project Drive-In: Case Study

Campaign Overview:

Who better than a car company to help save the drive-in?

Drive-in movie theaters are a classic part of American cinema and car culture. But at the end of 2013 they faced a big problem. The majority would have to shut down forever with the movie industry's switch from film to digital projection.

The 400 drive-ins that remain across the country are small, family-run businesses, typically passed down from generation to generation. Drive-ins provide low-cost entertainment to small-town communities, so their profit margins are very low. Upgrading to a $75000+ digital projection system is a cost they cannot afford. If they could the raise money and install a projector, drive-ins could stay open indefinitely.

We knew Americans love the nostalgia of a drive-in movie, and we believed if their plight gained national attention, people would rally to save this historical piece of Americana. So this past summer, Honda launched Project Drive-In--A movement with a simple goal: keep as many drive-ins alive as possible.

Between Honda-donated projectors, community fundraising, and corporate donations, 27 drive-ins have been saved so far.