Walmart Drive-in Movie Theaters Are Officially Opening on August 14

While seeing a summer blockbuster in theaters hasn't been a possibility due to the current coronavirus pandemic, drive-in movie theaters are having a moment once again. And although the retro moviegoing experience has somewhat diminished over the years, causing many drive-ins to close, Walmart is doing us all a favor and bringing them back within their store parking lots.

Which Walmart locations will be turned into drive-in movie theaters? A total of 160 department store locations across the country are participating, and they're officially opening in just a few weeks.

Social distancing may be keeping us from going on classic dates at the cinema, but Walmart is giving us the gift of moviegoing on Aug. 14, they announced in a press release. The department store partnered with Tribeca Enterprises, which has been largely promoting the drive-in moviegoing experience since the start of the pandemic, and Walmart will most likely be stocked with quality movies. 

The release announced there will be 320 showings of hit family films through Oct. 21, including titles such as The Karate Kid, Space Jam, Black Panther, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, The Lego Batman Movie, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Selena and Madagascar. And, like any true moviegoing experience, there will be "short films" before each presentation, such as Looney Tunes’ Boo! Appetweet, and Marooned.

There will also be car-side food and drink services, as well as "special appearances" from filmmakers. And while this sounds like a seriously exclusive event, reserving a space for your quaran-car is free and easy. As of 5 p.m. ET, customers will be able to pick their desired date and location via The Walmart drive-in website. A QR code will then be sent to the customers' email, which will ultimately be their "movie ticket." Our bowls of popcorn are already popped out of anticipation.

The Walmart drive-In website lists each of the 160 Walmart Supercenters that will be showing drive-in films. If your neighborhood Supercenter location happens to be one of many showing movies in your neighborhood, this is a total must for a fun (and completely free!) weekend activity.

Whether you take your S.O., your siblings, or your dog, the Walmart drive-in is bound to make for the perfect Saturday night activity this summer. Once you decide on which title you're looking to see, as well as a time, location, and date, it's going to be a guaranteed good time.

Janey Whiteside, Walmart’s chief customer officer is seriously looking forward to bringing this safe, free activity to customers.

“We recognize the challenges our customers and their families have faced over the last few months and we wanted to create an experience where they could come together safely to create new memories... The Walmart Drive-in is one small way we’re supporting the communities we serve," she said.

Although most of our summers were sadly spent inside, a free drive-in is definitely going to be a treat. Fair warning, though: If they show Mean Girls, there's no way we won't be quoting it from our cars the entire time.