Traditional movie theaters have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but film fans have a new option tonight as Moon Township’s Dependable Drive-In reopens. 

The Dependable will show two movies on this opening weekend: Trolls World Tour, which was previously released in April for rent at home through digital platforms, and the Vast of the Night, an Amazon Studios movie that is being released theatrically today before it is made available via Prime at the end of the month. Start time for each film will be 8:20 p.m.

There are coronavirus-related restrictions, however. 

People who are not feeling well are asked not to attend, the driver of the vehicle must wear a mask when purchasing tickets, and anyone who steps outside of their vehicle for any reason must wear a mask. There will be fewer vehicles allowed in, and concession stand orders have to be placed through an app called FanFood.

For tonight and Saturday, the Dependable offers special pricing: $5 per adult and $1 per child for Trolls World Tour, and only 50 cents per person for Vast of the Night.

The Dependable, built in 1950, is the last drive-in left in Allegheny County.

Many drive-ins nationwide closed decades ago, as movie theaters took over as the place where Americans wanted to watch their movies.

But with Allegheny County beginning to ease COVID-19 restrictions on some businesses, the Dependable gets to open, while the theaters are still closed.

There are several advantages to drive-ins.

They offer a nice change of pace, allowing families and friends to see movies in a different environment. Ticket prices also are usually lower.

There are drawbacks, though, since viewers might not enjoy sitting in their car as much as they like the comfortable seats in modern movie theaters. Also, sometimes it can be more difficult to view the screen at a drive-in.

Drive-Ins theaters should be successful while movie theaters remain closed. However, It seems unlikely that they will see a permanent comeback. 

But for now, this is a unique opportunity to rediscover drive-ins and enjoy being out of the house.