SAINTS’ rise from bankruptcy to the verge of Champions League football has all the making of a Hollywood blockbuster.
And, while the players play a starring role on the pitch, the car park at St Mary’s is now set to be turned into a cinema.
The driving force behind the idea is a Hampshire couple who are making drive-in movies – a symbol of 1950s America – a regular fixture around Southampton.
Nathan Alexander and Zoe Closs ran their first series of car-bound films at Christmas and found themselves overwhelmed by the interest.
With the first drive-ins, held at the Ageas Bowl in West End, virtually sold out the couple are keen to repeat the all-American experience – with at least four such events a year.
The next drive-in is in the car park of Saints’ St Mary’s Stadium in three months.
Organisers have increased the screen from 15 sqm to 100 sqm and are restricting entrance to 200 cars to make sure people get a great view.
Cinema classics such as ET, Grease, Dirty Dancing, Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will run alongside The Fast and the Furious and Anchorman. Two films will run each evening, from April 16 to April 19, and 600 tickets have already been sold.
Drivers park up and use a radio frequency to listen while being served popcorn and drinks at the car window.
Organisers also want to run a competition for the best dressed themed movie-goer at the Grease screening.
After the April event, they are planning other events in October and at Christmas, but have not yet fixed locations.
In future Nathan said the couple will put on at least four a year linked to Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Hallowe’en.
Beyond that, Nathan said he is in talks with regulators about securing a permanent licence at a venue to pave the way for even more, including new releases.
Nathan, 35, and Zoe, 36, own business Yellow Vintage, based in Chandler’s Ford, which runs vintage fairs in Hampshire.
They came up with the idea when Nathan saw a picture of a drive-in cinema while looking at vintage cars online.
Drive-in cinemas began in the United States in the 1930s and at their height during the 1950s and 1960s it had 4,000 of them.
Tickets cost £25 per car or £40 for two movies.
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