MOBERLY — Fifty vehicles slowly rolled into the gravel parking lot as drivers steered around families unloading folding chairs and coolers while groups of children skipped toward the indoor snack bar at the Moberly Five and Drive movie theater.
As the sun sank past the horizon, painting the sky with deep reds and purples, the lot filled with people wandering back to their cars with their hands full of soda, candy and popcorn. The day’s steamy temperatures cooled quickly with a lazy breeze as streams of light began to filter out of the enormous projector on the theater’s second floor, illuminating the outdoor screen with the beginning hints of movie trailers. Children hushed their parents and gawked at the screen, filling their mouths with handfuls of popcorn as the movie started.
The theater, which is about a half-hour drive from Columbia, has five indoor screens, one digital projector, and an outdoor theater that can host more than 200 vehicles. The outdoor theater is open during the summer months, usually from April to October.