A trio of Brigham Young University students are putting drive-in movies back on the date night rotation this summer — and, in the process, making malls cool again.
Hudson Barnes started CozyFilmz with fellow BYU student Jake Colohan this winter, and soon brought in Sofia Vanbrocklin for marketing help. Together, they have been hosting and promoting film screenings in a parking lot at the Provo Towne Centre since the first weekend in May, kicking off with “The Dark Knight,” projected onto the side of the mall.
Since then, on Friday and Saturday evenings, CozyFilmz has returned to take over the mall’s south lot, at 1200 Towne Centre Blvd., where they’ve attracted carloads of people to park in the otherwise empty spaces to watch films. Attendees tune into the movie audio through their vehicle’s FM radio.
The screenings have sold out most nights since the opening, Barnes said. Last weekend, they let in around 120 cars.
The students’ business venture banks on retro — drive-ins and the mall, former stalwarts of the American cultural experience that have dwindled as the popularity of streaming and online shopping has proliferated. The last drive-in movie theater along the Wasatch Front, the Redwood Drive-In, closed last year.
But the business also addresses a perhaps uniquely Latter-day Saint issue.
Provo has a reputation as the “Mecca of Mormon dating,” BYU professor Bob Walz said in the inaugural episode of his “It’s Just Dinner” podcast. Yet, he lamented, many students and young adults of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faith find themselves sitting alone on weekend nights.
“Because the culture that has been created here in Utah County, and in the LDS Church, toward dating,” where “dating is a function of marriage, rather than a function of having fun,” Walz said.
Hosted alongside fellow professor Tom Robinson, the pair have tried to counteract the city’s seemingly “dysfunctional” dating scene by preaching strategies to take the pressure off and understand dating as a way to meet new people and make friends (and perhaps, eventually, someone to marry).
Barnes said he had never heard of the podcast, but said he “completely understand[s]” the concept and is happy that CozyFilmz can provide a low-pressure space for casual dates, especially for group dates. CozyFilmz charges per car, he said, so “load your car up with all your buddies, go on a giant group date, hang out.”
In addition to the films, CozyFilmz encourages attendees to arrive early to take part in games, like cornhole, before the film starts. Barnes said he also envisions the space catering to families.
But he said they might have found some success wooing the dating audience. While they’ve picked action films — think “Inception” and “Top Gun: Maverick” — for many of the earlier screenings, the most successful screening so far has been the romantic comedy “10 Things I Hate About You.”
It’s unclear how CozyFilmz’s operation jibes with ongoing plans to renovate the Provo mall. Representatives of the mall declined to answer The Salt Lake Tribune’s questions.
“We are currently working on entitlements with Provo City and are reserving comments on redevelopment plans for the property,” said Scott Bowles, a group manager with Jones Lang LaSalle, the real estate services company that oversees the Provo Towne Centre.
He added that the mall regularly hosts events.
Cody Hill, the director of Provo’s Economic Development Division, told The Tribune the mall’s owners were seeking zoning changes to allow higher density residences. That’s because they intend to create a “housing and transit reinvestment zone,” where tax revenue growth can be saved and used to support more development in the area.
In May, the mall’s owners, Brixton Capital, announced plans to revitalize Provo Towne Centre, transforming it from an “outdated mall to a vibrant, mixed-use destination.” Plans include a blend of housing (for-sale and for-rent options, including some affordable units) and office space, with retail, dining and entertainment too, according to a news release.
The company noted that it’s not alone in rethinking the traditional mall, and its visions aligns with other developers seeking out “bold reinvention.”
“Across the country, developers are breathing new life into these aging properties — replacing empty storefronts with housing, green space, office space, and community gathering areas that reflect modern living needs," the statement read.
Barnes, 20, didn’t get to experience the heyday of malls in the ‘80s, ‘90s and early aughts, but he said it was something he and his business partners thought about before working out a deal to screen films there.
It’s not why they settled on the mall as their venue, though — ultimately, Provo Towne Centre provided them the best value for their money: They can use the mall’s street signage to to advertise showings, and they didn’t have to construct a screen (which motorists can see from the highway, potentially enticing more patrons).
The next screening, of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” is scheduled for Friday and Saturday — but was already sold out as of Thursday afternoon.
The website says it expects all future showings to sell out. Tickets are available in advance at cozyfilmz.com.
