Skyview Drive-In plans to reopen in Belleville
The Skyview Drive-In Theater in Belleville announced Tuesday that it is ready to reopen for business on May 1 — the day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order is due to expire.
Steve Bloomer, owner of the 71-year-old theater, said he consulted with the St. Clair County Health Department and he plans to open up with new rules to deal with the coronavirus, which is connected to 37 deaths in southwestern Illinois and 1,468 deaths statewide as of Tuesday.
Pritzker has not said whether he will extend the stay-at-home order, and he said Tuesday that the COVID-19 peak in Illinois may not occur until mid-May.
But Bloomer is getting ready now to help people battle “cabin fever.”
“They just want to get out of the house,” he said.
Theaters have been closed since last month as part of Pritzker’s order to ban large groups of people from gathering to help prevent the spread of COVID-19
Here is the Skyview schedule for May 1-7:
Screen #1: “The Goonies” at 8:15 p.m. and “Beetlejuice” at 10:20 p.m.
Screen #2: “Grease” at 8:15 p.m. and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” at 10:15 p.m.
Here are some of the restrictions Bloomer will have in place:
▪ The parking capacity will be reduced by half, with only one vehicle allowed between posts, instead of two. Customers can bring their own lawn chairs.
▪ The women’s restroom will be closed and 16 portable toilets will be available. They will be cleaned every 15 minutes.
▪ Customers won’t be allowed inside the concession stand but they can order items from a limited menu, and these items will be handed to the customer.
Bloomer had previously announced that he would let churches hold Easter services at the movie lot but he canceled those when Pritzker extended the stay-at-home order until April 30.
New movie releases have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic so that’s why the drive-in is showing old movies. “Mulan” was scheduled to be released on March 27 but that has been pushed back to July 24 and “No Time to Die” was to be released on April 10 and now that will be released on Nov. 25, according to Vanity Fair.
The drive-in theater celebrated its 70th anniversary last year and is at 5700 North Belt West.
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 5:48 PM.
