A movie screen at the Paramount Drive-In Theatres is reflected in rainwater before opening in March 2020 in Paramount, Calif. AP photo

With theaters shuttered across parts of the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many turned to the classic drive-in to satisfy their movie cravings last year.

“In 2020, people were seeking something comfortable,” said John Vincent, president of the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association. “It’s why you can’t go wrong with a grilled cheese sandwich; they want to feel good and have something familiar.”

The association is a not-for-profit formed in 1999 to aid drive-in theater owners and to ensure existing locations remain a “viable and competitive part of the motion picture industry.”

Vincent, who owns Wellfleet Cinemas on Cape Cod, said 2020 was “hit or miss” for many drive-in operators — impacted by a number of factors brought on by the coronavirus. Some of the gains that could have been made while traditional theaters were closed were likely lost by capacity limitations regarding customers.

Social distancing and rules on dining also likely put a dent in proceeds from concessions, where many owners make their money on movie nights.

Then there’s the product on the screen. Many major movie studios delayed the release of their summer blockbusters due to the virus, forcing drive-in owners to look to the past.

“Some leaned into the comfort movies of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, and those were big hits and helped get them through the summer,” Vincent told The Post-Journal, noting the lack of “first run” movies available for showing in 2020.

Compounding the limitations, he continued, is that outside the south and west coast, most drive-ins are only open seasonally.

“We didn’t come looking to make a killing (due to COVID), we just wanted to provide an outlet and be a happy place people can go to,” Vincent said.

As of October 2019, there were 49 drive-in screens at 28 sites across New York state. Nationwide, the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association estimates there are slightly more than 300 drive-ins, down from the 447 reported in 1999 and far from the 4,000 such sites at the peak of the industry in the 1950s and ’60s.

While the numbers have trended downward in past decades, Vincent doesn’t see a large drop-off with the remaining sites. “There’s not a lot of closings,” he said. “The numbers have been pretty stagnant.”

The conversion from film to digital around 2013-14 resulted in the closing of about 5-10% of drive-ins nationwide. With a price tag at the time in the tens of thousands, the expense of going digital was too much for some operators, Vincent said

“Since then, it’s been pretty stable with about 300 remaining and a few new ones,” he said.

Asked where he expected to see the drive-in industry 5 to 10 years from now, Vincent said, “I’ve seen the death knell written so many times, I honestly don’t know, and not just because of COVID. But honestly, I don’t see there being any huge gains, but I don’t see them all of sudden dissolving, that’s for sure. It’s a labor of love doing this.”