KEY POINTS

  • Walmart is turning its parking spaces into drive-in theaters
  • The retail giant teamed up with Tribeca Enterprises to show movies in over 160 branch locations across the country
  • Filmmakers and celebrities will be making special appearances

Walmart has announced that it will be transforming over a hundred of its parking lots into drive-in movie theaters.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing movie theaters to remain closed, retail giant Walmart has decided to team up with media outlet company Tribeca Enterprises to turn parking spaces in over 160 of its branch locations across the country into drive-in movie theaters.

According to its announcement on Twitter, Walmart’s drive-in theaters are set to launch in early August and will remain open until October, but they will only go live at selected branches.

Movies will be programmed by the Tribeca Drive-In team, which has scheduled 320 family-friendly showings alongside special appearances from filmmakers and celebrities. And although concessions will be delivered to the customers' vehicles, viewers can still pick up their favorite movie snacks at Walmart stores.

The retail company has yet to dish out more details about the event, including the prices of tickets. No official word has been released regarding the specific Walmart branches offering the drive-in theater experience.

“Drive-Ins have been a signature program for Tribeca since we started the Tribeca Film Festival 19 years ago after 9/11,” Jane Rosenthal, CEO and co-founder of Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival, said in a statement.

“But now, the Tribeca Drive-In is much more than a fun, retro way to see movies — it’s one of the safest ways for communities to gather,” Rosenthal continued. “We are thrilled to partner with Walmart to bring more people together around the shared cinematic experiences that Tribeca is known for.”

In a report by Deadline, Walmart is currently a presenting partner for Tribeca’s own Tribeca Drive-In movie series that is scheduled to debut on Thursday (July 2). The film lineup for the event includes “Wonder Woman,” “Space Jam,” as well as other blockbuster movie releases.

Tribeca and Walmart’s partnership program will also include a mix of ticketed and free events honoring coronavirus frontline workers at locations in Arlington, Texas, Pasadena, California, Nassau County, New York and Orchard Beach in the Bronx.

For more information regarding the upcoming launch of the Walmart drive-in theaters, visit its official Walmart Drive-In Theater website.

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