No way! Haas it really been 75 years since the opening of the first drive-in movie theater? I remember driving to one here in Miami called the Tropicaire Drive-In Theatre on Bird Road across from Tropical Park. All with a car load of friends in the late 70s. It was fun, cheap and had lousy sound. But it was our BIG screen, with the stars as our roof.

Imagine as we saw the original Star Wars while seating on the hood of my 1976 Ford LTD and leaning back on the glass. It was amazing, but I challenge you to find a working drive-in today.

Now fast forward to 2008, a simple technology from Utah-based Open Air Cinema who has brought back the magic of our youth – the outdoor movies into the backyard with the CineBox backyard home theater system.

Today my family and I love doing nighttime barbecues in the backyard by the pool, but we always felt something was missing, now we can have a real movie party.

The 10-foot inflatable screen takes about 30 seconds to inflate and can come with everything needed (except the popcorn) for an instant outdoor movie night including a projector, DVD player and speakers.

This is a new way of looking at home entertainment. The allure of watching movies outside has always been there, but for the home user, it has required a significant amount of technical skill to get quality. Now, it is all together in one package. (Or the screen is available separately if desired.)

“People are staying home and looking for ways to make their family and neighborhood activities more fun and what better way to do it than an outdoor movie night?” said Stuart Farmer, CEO of Open Air Cinema. “We rip the roof off the home theater and take it outside. Our system is easier to set up than a pup tent and when deflated, the 123-inch movie screen weighs about eight pounds and fits inside a duffle bag, which you can take anywhere.”

The CineBox Home backyard theater kit includes the following:

• Light, yet durable 10-foot or 12-foot inflatable movie screen
• Digital projector
• DVD player
• Sound mixer
• “Goose Neck” LED light (for easy set up in the dark)
• Complete set of necessary cables
• Carrying case
• Blower fan to keep screen constantly inflated
• Muffler for blower fan

The CineBox Home kit is available now through Amazon.com and soon through major retailers nationwide. Screen pricing starts at $399 for the 10ft. screen. Options include purchasing the screen only, the screen and projector, screen and audio or the complete package, which starts at $1,499.

Open Air Cinema manufactures its inflatable movie screens here in America with wrinkle-resistant materials for an optimal viewing experience. For more information, please visit //www.openaircinema.us or 866-802-8202.

I have to add, it may be winter up north, but here in Miami and other warm locals, we can still sit by the pool and now even get to enjoy an old school drive-in-movie while never living the house. Now that’s what I call living the good life.

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