It's been nearly 20 years since the Milwaukee area's last drive-in movie theater, Franklin's 41 Twin Outdoor, shut down in 2001, but a new theater is coming to finally fill that void. The Milwaukee Milkmen baseball team announced today a new pop-up drive-in called Milky Way Drive-In will open at Franklin's Ballpark Commons Memorial Day weekend.
The theater will run Friday, May 22 through Labor Day, with two shows daily when the Milwaukee Milkmen are playing out of town, a family-oriented early show and more mature movies in the evening. There will also be a late-night feature planned for teens and young adults.
According the Milkmen, the Milky Way Drive-In will accommodate 150 vehicles and will screen movies on an outdoor LED screen.
Before the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Gov. Tony Evers' stay at home order, the governor had loosened restrictions on drive-in theaters, allowing them to reopen provided they follow safety precautions and social-distancing guidelines.
“Given our current shared challenge in combating COVID-19 via social distancing, the drive-in concept is a great way to gradually and safely ‘return to community,'” Milwaukee Milkmen owner Mike Zimmerman said in a statement. “The Milky Way Drive-In offers a terrific food-and-entertainment ‘night out’ experience in a safe environment.”