Islamabad: Residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi today got to enjoy their first drive-in cinema experience in Islamabad’s F-9 Park.
The drive-in cinema with a capacity for 200 cars — carrying a maximum of three people - is a joint venture of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), telecom operator Jazz, and a private entity Activemedia.
Newly-appointed Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Chairman of the CDA who is also Chief Commissioner of Islamabad Amer Ali Ahmed along with the organizers cut the ribbon to inaugurate the facility.
“I congratulate the organizers for bringing back a retro-favourite to provide the masses entertainment during the new normal,” Sheikh Rashid said.
Speaking at the movie screening, Jazz CCO, Asif Aziz, said, “As a digital lifestyle partner, Jazz realized that the country-wide social distancing measures limited entertainment avenues for the public.”
According to the organizers, the drive-in cinema will be offering two shows daily, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the evening against Rs1,000 (Dh23) for each car.
A weekly theme
There will be a weekly theme ranging from classic movies to action, science fiction, fantasy, and animations – a movie for each member of the family, said one of the organizers while talking to Gulf News.
On the first day, two blockbusters — ‘War for the Planet of Apes’ and ‘Spider-Man Far From Home’ — were screened.
Visitors were given space to park their vehicles in an orderly manner with the movie audio frequency that enabled each visitor through his/her vehicle’s stereo to hear the voice clearly.
Food stalls were also organized that offered snacks at the venue within the precinct of the park.
CDA chairman applauded Jazz and Activemedia’s initiative in creating the ultimate drive-in experience for the twin cities’ audiences.
He said in the days of pandemic, the drive-in cinema would provide a safe and comfortable environment with all the COVID-19 SOPs in place.
CEO Activemedia Saad M Khan said as the country’s top experiential marketing agency, Activemdia was managing the platform after fulfilling all concerned formalities with respect to the screening of the movies.
“After the month-long pilot in Islamabad, the next step is to take this project to Karachi and Lahore,” he added.
