THE Tivoli Drive-In needs $100,000 for a new digital projector, or it will have to close.

The community cinema is currently showing films off a 35mm projector, out-dated technology which many modern films are already not released on.

Increasingly movies are delivered from suppliers to cinemas on hard drives rather than 35mm film reels. From the end of 2013 most major film distributors will cease supplying non-digital films.

Pastor Fred Muys, who runs the facility through the Rivers of Life Christian Church, said while the transition to digital projection made sense for suppliers and cinemas, the cost of the new technology was simply out of reach for community run organisations like the drive-in.

"Essentially we have five weeks to raise $100,000," he said.

For a community run operation, with profits donated to charity, $100,000 is just well out of reach.

"Unless we can actually motivate 5000 people to donate $20 each we'll have to close," Pastor Muys said.

"The digital projector is a better quality product on the screen and cuts down on a lot of man hours' work in set-up, but the catch is the projector we need to install costs about $100,000."

Pastor Muys and the drive-in have launched a crowd funding campaign on the Indiegogo website.

The campaign is offering rewards to backers with #keeptivolidrivein badges and coffee cups for smaller donations through to free banner and on-screen advertising for people or companies willing to donate $10,000.

After launching on Friday it has already raised nearly $2000 with more than 40 backers already.

Pastor Muys said they were embracing social media and trying to spread the word using the drive-in's Facebook page and have started hashtags of #keepthedrivein and #keeptivolidrivein for the campaign.

Pastor Muys said the need to change projectors came at a time when the theatre had never been more popular.

"The Tivoli Drive-In is really at an all time high of popularity at the moment. We're getting more people coming than ever before," he said.

He said the cinema has worked helping the community as much as it could be giving jobs to the long-term unemployed to work in its cafe.

Pastor Muys said they were not planning on removing their 35mm projector with a new digital one, but intended to keep both operational.

"It'll be great for film festivals and showing classic movies," he said.

The existing projection room has the 35mm projector and a cinema slide projector they will be replacing with the digital projector.

To support the campaign to save the Tivoli Drive-In visit projects/keep-tivoli-drive-in-theatre.