WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF A DRIVE-IN THEATRE?
A major characteristic of box-office and food sales at a drive-in theatre is weather conditions. For instance, it is true that drive-ins do not operate during the late fall and winter seasons (between October and mid-April) and therefore there would be no forecasted demand. It is most likely true that demand would be lower during the early spring and fall months due to cooler temperatures at night and the presence of insects, such as mosquitoes. Also, business would be slower during the late summer (August), as people are away on vacations and as the temperature and humidity are at a season high, which would result in a less comfortable experience. Presumably, un-forecasted extreme weather conditions, such as heavy rainfall or a heat wave, would result in less box-office sales ¡Vthese would be random or irregular events. If box-office sales are low then it is presumed that food sales are similarly affected.
A second characteristic is weekly seasonality. It can be assumed that the weekends would have the highest sales as families and individuals have more time for leisure; children also have the weekend off and therefore, it would be more practical for them to watch movies in the evening. By the same token, days at the beginning of the week (Monday and Tuesday) would have the least sales.
Another characteristic is the type of movies playing on a given night. Children¡¦s movies would most probably result in higher box-office sales, since it costs less to take a family to view a drive-in movie versus going to the traditional movie theatre. Similarly, food sales would be higher during children¡¦s movies for various concessions such as popcorn, candy, and pop.& ...