Photos: UAA hosts Anchorage drive-in movie

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Rage City Rollergirl HypnoThighs pets Taiho, Jon E. and Su Isakson’s dog, during the food truck rodeo and drive-in movie on Friday, September 12, 2014 at the UAA Alaska Airlines Center. The rollergirls were helping park cars at the event.

As the saying goes, build it and they will come. And so they did, in droves, to Anchorage's second drive-in movie in years.

Hoisted by a large forklift, a massive screen stood in the parking lot of the Alaska Airlines Center, waiting for the sun to go down. Moviegoers munched on food from a variety of food truck vendors positioned nearby as they waited for showtime.

Within a half-hour of the gates being opened, 3 1/2 hours before the start of the movie, the parking area was full. Many disappointed people were turned away or forced to set up in lawn chairs near the front of the screen.

Logistical challenges kept the experience from being flawless. The radio broadcast of the audio came in full of static for many people, and the semi-transparent screen was positioned in front of the lights of the stadium, making the dark movie hard to see for some viewers.

Compounding the technical challenges, the rain began to pour soon after the opening credits of the film, "Jurassic Park." At that point some people decided to leave the movie, intermittently shining their headlights on the screen as they left and washing out the picture.

But even with all the challenges, the response was largely positive. Perhaps it is our pent-up desire for something new, or something nostalgic, but many people seemed to enjoy the experience, and are already looking forward to the next show, if there is another.

As part of Public Health Week in April, "Contagion" was shown at a drive-in movie projected on the side of a campus parking structure.