Nostalgia for Outdoor Movies Returns in Washington with Open Air Cinema's Inflatable Screens

Utah-based Open Air Cinema launched its CineBox Home outdoor theater system -- a packaged kit starting at $1,499 that includes a 10-foot inflatable screen, DVD player, digital projector, sound mixer, and accessories. A 16-foot system runs $3,559; inflatable screens alone start at $399.

“Americans love the outdoors, the cinema and their back yards,” said Stuart Farmer, CEO of Open Air Cinema. “When you combine all three, you can have a personal drive-in.” At the peak of drive-in popularity in the late 1950s, there were about 4,000 locations nationwide. By 2008, fewer than 500 remained.

Open Air Cinema's equipment has been featured at public outdoor events including the Tribeca and Sundance Film Festivals.