A Drive-In Cinema tour has arrived in Newcastle with a cracking line-up of movies.
The eagerly-awaited tour opened at its Newcastle Airport site with family classic Back To The Future, which gets another showing on Friday, and then it will follow up with a bill of blockbusters, children's favourites and singalong musicals.
Audiences can also enjoy extra entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, bingo and even silent car discos - and even food deliveries from Just East straight to their vehicles.
The initial announcement of the Suzuki Presents @TheDriveIn tour coming to the city had sparked huge excitement among film buffs starved of their usual cinema fix during lockdown - and there was an extra treat in store with news that NHS staff could claim free tickets.
The initial plan was to come to Newcastle in July but there followed a change of date at the same time as the new initiative revealed the outdoor host location would be Newcastle Airport.
The Drive-In Cinema will follow this Wednesday's opening with a bill running until Sunday, August 9 and including the likes of Oscar-winning hit The Joker alongside A Star Is Born and children's favourites such as The Lion King.
And there will be strict social distancing rules in place, such as cars being parked two metres apart and the option to use a food delivery app to order American-style dishes for delivery by waiters on roller skates to a special box placed at the side of the car.
Viewers will tune into their car radios to follow the action being shown on a top-of-the-range LED screen.
For more information on how it will operate see here.
The Drive-In Cinema programme
Back To The Future - following its 2pm August 5 performance, which included car karaoke, the film will screen again on August 7, at 6pm, and will be accompanied by comedy courtesy of local talent Lauren Pattison
Jaws - August 5, 6pm - with a silent disco
Toy Story - August 6, 2pm; August 8, 2pm - these will have car karaoke
Grease - August 6, 6pm - with a silent disco
Grease Sing Along - August 7, 2pm - with car karaoke
The Joker - August 8, 6pm - with a silent disco
The Lion King - August 9, 2pm -with car karaoke. Note: this screening has now sold out.
A Star Is Born - August 9, 6pm -with car karaoke
Newcastle is one of 12 UK cities to host the tour, presented by Suzuki, which began on July 6 in London and will run an extended schedule until October 4 when it will close in Brighton, after taking in such unique locations as Edinburgh Zoo; a shopping area in Liverpool and a car park in Leeds.
Organiser Alan Crofton said: "Our aim is for @TheDriveIn to be an experience that brings real joy this summer and the perfect antidote to a post-lockdown world, and we promise to deliver it within a safe yet fun environment."
For more information and available tickets, which start at £35 per car, see here.
