MONROE, MI – At a time when drive-in movie theaters have become sparse, a new one is planned in Monroe.

There are eight other drive-in movie theaters in Michigan. One that opened in 2012 is permanently closed.

Phoenix Theatres plans to add a drive-in to its offerings at The Mall of Monroe, 2121 N Monroe St., by spring 2020, according to a news release. The company has a 10-screen theater in the mall.

At 65-70 feet wide, the outdoor screen will be the largest in Michigan and have the clearest picture due to digital laser projection, said Cory Jacobson, owner of Phoenix Theatres.

The drive-in will be “a little slice of something that’s a classic idea,” he told MLive.

Starlite: The Drive-In Movie Experience will be the first in the state to offer an outdoor screen of its size and the first to use laser projection, Jacobson said.

The goal is to open during spring 2020, Jacobson said, but the company is still seeking approvals from Frenchtown Township and doesn’t have a construction start date yet.

Construction will include the screen, a ticket booth, fencing and paving the parking lot for universal accessibility, he said. The drive-in is adjacent to the theater in the mall and will use its indoor concessions and restrooms.

The ground is already sloped to provide optimal views, he added.

"That’s what prompted us to look at that and say, ‘This is a great spot to put (a drive-in),’” Jacobson said of the sloped parcel.

The location along with the new technology and Jacobson’s own nostalgia for drive-ins are driving the project.

“There were a lot of challenges to putting an image that large on the screen 30, 40, 50 years ago. The technology has caught up with it,” Jacobson said referring to the digital laser projection. “People will be surprised at the quality of the picture.”

Drive-ins have faded into the past with just eight left standing in the state but Jacobson – who managed one in the 1980s - doesn’t think it’s because they weren’t profitable or people didn’t like them anymore.

“They faded because the real estate became very valuable,” he said, and that enticed owners to sell to developers who built things like strip malls and hotels.

“There are a lot of summer days when people will be really excited to be outside for a movie,” Jacobson said. “That was my experience working at the drive-in years ago. Sometimes you’d rather be in your car. If there’s a bad day with weather, you can watch it inside.”

Michigan’s remaining drive-in theaters are:

Capri Drive-In, Coldwater

Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theater, Honor

Sunset Drive-In Movie Theater, Hartford

Getty 4 Drive-In Theater, Muskegon

Hi-Way Drive-In Theater, Carsonville

Ford Wyoming Drive-In, Dearborn

U.S.-23 Twin Drive-In, Flint

5-Mile Drive-In, Dowagiac

Danny Boy’s Drive-In that opened in 2012 in Ionia is permanently closed.

Phoenix Theatres opened its first Michigan theater in 2001 and operates 10 screens at Laurel Park Place in Livonia, 10 screens at The Mall of Monroe, four screens at State Wayne in Wayne, six screens in Dubuque, Iowa, and six screens in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. All its theaters feature heated recliners.