As a theater owner, Rod Saunders routinely sees dozens of ho-hum films, but recently he saw one that really made him tear up -- We Bought a Zoo, starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson.
"I could relate," Mr. Saunders said with a chuckle while recalling the 2011 film about a man who knows nothing about running a zoo but buys one anyway.
Were anyone to make a film called We Opened a Drive-In, Mr. Saunders, and his wife, Donna, would be perfect for the lead roles.
The Saunders family of Liberty Center began their sixth season Friday as owners of the Field of Dreams Drive-In company, and while their unusual business venture hasn't paid off financially yet, they've managed to improve and expand it annually to where they can envision profits a few years from now.
"With any new business you don't start to expect making money right off the bat. We knew it was going to take money and that we'd have to invest back into it," said Mrs. Saunders, who handles much of the administrative and technical work associated with the business.
"We never expected to make money for the first five years. We expected to put money into the business and grow it, and that's what we've done," Mrs. Saunders said.
In fact, the Saunderses estimate they have invested between $400,000 and $500,000 in their business since opening their Liberty Center Field of Dreams Drive-In -- conveniently located in the backyard of their 4.5-acre property on Henry County Road 6 in Washington Township just south of Swanton -- in the summer of 2007.
"Every year we were adding something -- new equipment, new screens, we grew the concessions," Mrs. Saunders said.
The first year, they showed second-run films on a 48-by-20-foot screen. But they quickly learned the realities of attracting customers: People want to see something new.
Improved concessions was their next lesson. Food sales are the key to profitability once the movie studios take their huge cut of the gate admissions.
In 2010 the couple added a second 42-by-18-foot screen after learning another hard lesson of the drive-in business: By contract, theater owners must show a first-run film for three to four weeks, but business for a film drops considerably after the first weekend.
On a film's second weekend, their 175-vehicle big screen area was usually half-empty. So their second smaller screen provided a site to fulfill their contract obligations while utilizing a smaller area .
They also added a series of games, putting golf, and sand volleyball courts for customers who arrive early.
Last year the Saunderses made their biggest move yet, buying a run-down drive-in in Tiffin that was about to close.
They spent $50,000 on renovations and renamed it the Field of Dreams Tiffin Drive-In. In midseason they added a second 42-by-18-foot screen there to complement its existing 88-by-40-foot screen.
With seasonal maintenance and several blockbuster movies slated for this year, such as The Avengers, Men in Black III, and The Dark Knight Rises, the Saunders family could see their first profit this year if the films deliver and good weather prevails.
"We are close to making a profit and we are definitely seeing the writing on the wall, especially with our growth projection," Mrs. Saunders said.
"We are looking for this to be a really good year."
But while no longer neophytes, the couple say they still have a lot to learn about owning a drive-in.
"I would say we're maybe 80 percent there. We certainly know a lot now. But when we meet with other owners in this industry, we kind of shake the bushes a lot," Mrs. Saunders said.
"At conventions we ask questions -- a lot. Like, 'Why do you do that? We do it this way, but why do you do it that way?' The truth is, we don't know any better."
No comments:
Post a Comment