Once upon a time, drive-in movie theaters were all the rage before being mostly supplanted by locally owned brick-and-mortar theaters, which were then replaced by franchise cookie-cutters. But with the coronavirus pandemic forcing those apex theaters to first reduce audience sizes and then shutter their doors completely (albeit temporarily), the bygone era of drive-in movie theaters is experiencing a resurgence.

If you've never been to a drive-in movie, here's how it works: It's pretty much right there in the name. You drive out to a parking lot or a field that's normally a bit removed from the bright city lights and noisy traffic, pay for whatever the double-feature happens to be that night, and then pick your spot in front of one of the big screens before the show starts. Depending on how up-to-date your local drive-in is, you can order food right from your car (or, at worst, walk up to the concession stand). The audio will then pipe in either through a door-mounted speaker (old-school) or, more likely, through your car's stereo system by tuning into the appropriate radio station. Then, just sit back and enjoy the show(s)!

The LA Times wrote at length about the resurgence of drive-in movie theaters, of which only about 300 are still in operation across America. The ones still in existence never really went anywhere, they were just limping along on nostalgia and second-run screenings while the big-name franchise theaters raked in capacity crowds and pumped up prices on screenings and concessions alike. Now, with the latter shut down for the moment, drive-ins have become an unexpected reprieve during life in the time of the coronavirus. Families can still spend time together but outside of their self-imposed home quarantine, while teens (and parents, if we're honest) can get away from both home and family members for a few hours thanks to the freedom of the open road and an enclosed vehicle that makes social distancing easy (though there's always the back seat option.)

Some drive-ins have had to close temporarily due to local ordinances or mandates, but many remain open as a viable escape from the pressures of this increasingly weird reality. They may not be open indefinitely though, so be sure to search for your local drive-in today and consider paying them a visit this weekend. If it's good enough for Edgar Wright: