A growing number of South Fork residents have been renting outdoor home movie theaters as one way to enjoy the warm outdoors while entertaining guests, whether for a birthday party, a family reunion or some other get-together.
Home movie theaters can transform a backyard space into a cozy environment where friends and family gather for a relaxing evening of movies on a big screen. In some cases the screens are even used for video games or live cable TV programs.
Jamie Booth, the president and owner of Fun Flicks, explained that part of the reason for the demand is a shortage of family entertainment options at night.
“At night, it is hard to provide entertainment because the beach isn’t available,” she said. “This is something that is great for all ages, families with young children who even bring their parents and grandparents.”
There are several companies that provide rental services on the East End—among them, Fun Flicks, Hamptons Drive In, Movies in the Moonlight and Fresh Air Flicks. They offer bigger screens for larger, more public events, but can accommodate smaller parties as well with smaller screens.
Each company will provide a full-service crew to set up and tear down equipment, but providers have different packages, screen sizes and types, and prices, and some have additional services like popcorn carts and wireless headsets.
“Anybody who does a movie event for their kids will contact all the movie event providers in the area,” said Frank Zagarino, owner of Movies in the Moonlight. “All companies used to provide the same service, but it is not that way anymore, because there is competition.” Providers do not usually have a fixed price for rentals, because pricing depends on factors such as distance of travel, day of the week and the specific package.
Unlike providers that have inflatable screens with generators, Movies in the Moonlight has frames around the screens—a bonus for windy nights, said Mr. Zagarino, whose screens start at about $450 per night.
Hamptons Drive-In, owned and operated by East Hampton residents Zac and Cindy Allentuck, offers a 16-foot screen package for $850 that includes a popcorn cart.
Brooklyn-based Fresh Air Flicks provides an 18-foot screen for $2,000 to $3,000 a night.
Fun Flicks, the largest movie service provider in the nation, offers a 12-by-9-foot screen in a backyard movie package that ranges in price from $375 to $500.
There is also the option to own the equipment for those who wish to use it often. Fresh Air Flicks sells their Airscreen inflatable outdoor movie screens and systems on outdoor-movies.com, and Fun Flicks sells theirs on funflicks.com.
P.C. Richard & Son sells projectors starting at $499 and speakers at around $300 on their website and in stores. For a more permanent setup, they also sell outdoor SunBrite televisions starting at around $1,500.
27east on Aug 4, 2016