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"My last summer working there was depressing," said Corey. "The owner was doing everything he could do to afford a digital projector. The [35mm] reels were being discontinued by all the studios, and it was all going digital. He had to take out a big loan. He didn't tell anyone how much, but it was a lot."

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"But hypothetically, how much is my first born worth?"

Since digital projectors can cost tens of thousands of dollars, it's no wonder so many drive-ins have shut down rather than follow Hollywood's switch from film to digital. Jillian's manager faced a similar dilemma.

"My manager didn't know what to do," she recalled. "He had owned three drive-ins at one time, but he was down to just the drive-in I worked at. He was really attached to it too, because it had been his dream to own them, and he loved the big marquee outside ... But he needed that projector, and he only had a limited time to get one before too many films switched to digital. He ended up renting out the lot to car shows and gun shows and anyone who would rent the lot. He finally managed to combine [money from those shows] with loans from friends to buy the cheapest digital projector he could."

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He tried his best, but sometimes settling is your only option.