Walmart Drive-In (How Does It Work, States, Movies + More)

Walmart has been strategizing on how to make the most out of serving the community and increasing the popularity of its stores, and continues to top the list of America’s top retailers through innovative marketing plans that are above and beyond cliché ideas.

Among the most recent eye-catching strategies is the introduction of Walmart Drive-In, which has left many asking: what is Walmart Drive-in, and how does it work? Here’s what I found out!

What Is The Walmart Drive-In [currentyear]?

The Walmart Drive-In was a movie event that the company hosted in August 2020, after partnering with the Tribeca Film Festival. This pop-up event turned parking lots of 160 Walmart stores into venues for free movie theaters. In return, customers were asked to get free tickets in advance in order to secure a slot in the selected parking lots.

If you would like to gain more insight into how Walmart’s drive-in works, which states host the drive-in, the movies featured in the drive-in and more, keep reading!

How Did The Walmart Drive-In Work?

The Walmart drive-in was a movie tour that transformed parking lots of selected Walmart stores into outdoor cinemas.

During the Walmart drive-ins, customers could enjoy popular films curated by the Tribeca Film Festival from the comfort and safety of their own vehicles.

Furthermore, the movie tour also aimed to feature special guests and filmmakers in order to celebrate the return of big screens across the country.

Customers were to confirm the dates of the events, the store locations, and the movie showing at each stop of the movie tour through TheWalmartDriveIn.com, where they could also reserve a space.

On receipt of confirmation, customers received QR codes that granted their vehicles entry at the Walmart Drive-In event.

Which States Hosted The Walmart Drive-In?

The Walmart Drive-In movie tour was launched in 26 states spread across the United States, including the following:

  • Arkansas
  • Alabama
  • Colorado
  • Georgia
  • Florida
  • Indiana
  • Illinois
  • Kentucky
  • Kansas
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • New Jersey
  • Nebraska
  • New Mexico
  • Ohio
  • Nevada
  • Oklahoma
  • South Carolina
  • Pennsylvania
  • Oregon
  • Texas
  • Tennessee
  • West Virginia
  • Virginia

Which Walmart Stores Hosted Drive-In Movies?

In 2020, only select Walmart supercenters in the 26 participating states hosted the Walmart Drive-In movies.

For instance, in the state of Alabama, the outdoor drive-in theatre was hosted in Attalla and Gadsden on different dates.

In Arkansas, the Walmart supercenters in Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Cabot, and Bryant hosted the event on different allocated dates.

Similarly, other selected 24 states organized and held the Walmart drive-in pop-up event by supercenters spread across the states.

How Do You Get Free Walmart Drive-In Movies?

How Do You Get Free Walmart Drive-In Movies?

While the Walmart drive-in movies are free, customers have to reserve their spaces in advance.

Customers intending to attend the Walmart drive-in outdoor movie theater should visit TheWalmartDriveIn.com to select their desired location and date.

Upon confirmation of your request, a QR code is sent to your email, which will afterwards grant your vehicle entry into Walmart’s parking lot for the event.

However, customers should note that Walmart didn’t host the drive-in during 2021 and currently has no plans to reinstate drive-in movies for the summer of 2022.

Which Movies Were Played at The Walmart Drive-in In 2020?

Partnering with Tribeca Enterprises (the annual hosts of Tribeca Film Festival), Walmart created an outdoor movie tour in 2020 showcasing the following movies:

Movies on sports stories:

  • Friday Night Lights
  • Space Jam
  • The Karate Kid

Blockbuster franchises:

  • Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
  • Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
  • Black Panther
  • The Lego Batman Movie
  • Wonder Woman
  • Teen Titans GO! To The Movies

Animations:

  • The Iron Giant
  • Cars
  • Madagascar
  • The Lego Movie

Thriller stories:

  • Men in Black: International
  • T. the Extra-Terrestrial
  • Ghostbusters

Nostalgic movies:

  • Beetlejuice
  • Back to the Future
  • The Goonies
  • The Wizard of Oz

Inspirational stories:

  • Dolphin Tale
  • Selena

Short films:

  • Bird Karma
  • Bilby
  • Brooklyn Breeze
  • Fire in Cardboard City
  • CROW: The Legend
  • INVASION!
  • Marooned
  • Looney Tunes’ Boo! Appetweet

When Did Walmart Drive-In Movies End?

The Walmart drive-in movies ran from August 14 through October 21 in the year 2020. However, Walmart didn’t host drive-in movies for the summer of 2021, and currently has no plans for the 2022 summer season.

Why Did Walmart Host Drive-In Movies?

According to Walmart’s Chief Customer Officer, Janey Whiteside, Walmart organized the outdoor drive-in event in order to create a unique experience that would cause memorable moments and to support the communities it serves.

If you want to know more, you can also see our posts on overnight parking at Walmart, Walmart return hours, and if Walmart is zero waste.

Conclusion

The Walmart drive-in was a community event setting up outdoor movie theaters on Walmart parking lots while the audience was seated safely in their vehicles in August 2020.

The free event organized by Walmart gave community members a chance to hold a contact-free experience as they watched popular films selected by the Tribeca Film Festival.

Photo of author

Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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