Movies Make Waves at Water Parks
Water parks looking for promotional razzmatazz this upcoming season can draw guests by turning into a “dive-in” theater, using wave pools to their advantage. Showing “floating films” allow water parks to generate excitement, extend operating hours into the evening, and increase traffic on days that are historically soft. But before printing movie posters and popping corn, there are some logistical and practical concerns to consider now when planning for a summer event.
Starbright Starlight
Lighting for an evening event is a critical issue. The movies are typically shown alongside parks’ wave pools, and guests watch them either while they float in the water or sit on surrounding chairs. It’s therefore important to have enough light shining on and near the pool so lifeguards can keep watch on guests—but not too much ambient light that interferes with the image on the movie screen.
“It’s a balance,” says Myra Wood, director of marketing and sales at Ocean Breeze Waterpark in Virginia Beach, Virginia. “You don’t want to light it so much that it corrupts the appearance of the movie. We tested many spots for the screen, and the one we chose is least affected by glare or shadows.”
In the interest of safety, some parks, including Ocean Breeze, don’t allow guests to use inner tubes in the wave pool on movie nights. Nashville Shores in Hermitage, Tennessee, does permit park-provided tubes, but does not allow guests to bring in their own tubes or floats. The park requires that guests 36 inches and shorter wear life jackets, which it makes available. According to Daniel Strobel, director of marketing, Nashville Shores also increases the number of lifeguards stationed around the wave pool when it presents evening movies.
No Wake Zone
Partly for safety—but mostly to reduce the din so guests can hear the movies’ soundtracks—parks shut the wave-making pumps off during showings.
Most parks that feature movie events close the majority of the facility at dusk and only leave the wave pool area open. But Ocean Breeze, which has ample lighting throughout the park, makes all of its slides and attractions available until closing. In fact, that is part of the event’s appeal. Wood says the movies are a great marketing hook, but a lot of people come for the extended hours and the attractive price point. She adds that admission for “Dive-In Poolside Movies” is the lowest rate of the week.
According to Wood, the park introduced the movie nights, which date back to 2009, as a way to drum up business. “Attendance was dipping on Fridays. We wanted to promote something family-friendly. We get a second wave of attendance every Friday,” she says, pun probably intended. (Ocean Breeze and Nashville Shores didn’t host movie screening events in 2020 because of the global pandemic.)
Programming the Pool
In past seasons, most parks that have presented movies would offer them on Friday evenings. Nashville Shores refers to its events as both “Dive-In Movies” and “Feel Good Fridays.” The park partners with local nonprofit organizations and encourages guests to donate needed items in exchange for reduced admission.
“To determine our lineup, we typically look at the top-grossing movies from the previous summer,” says Strobel.
It’s not just a matter of choosing movies. To comply with copyright laws, parks have to secure licensing rights in order to screen them. One of the most popular licensing-granting companies is Swank Motion Pictures. The company has agreements with most of the major movie studios. Licensing fees are based on the number of showings and the anticipated audience size.
Because of industry arrangements with movie theaters, exhibitors such as parks cannot specifically identify the titles of movies in broadcast or print advertising. Attractions can, however, advertise showings using inside the park with signage, on websites, or through social media posts. Wood understands the intent of the restrictions. “We wouldn’t be excited if the movie theater decided to put a wave pool in its parking lot,” she says. But, Wood adds, she’s been able to get creative with ads that dance around the issue. “We might say, ‘Are you ready to see your favorite princess ... that freezes?’”
Licensing agreements are less of a concern for Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which already has an affiliation with Warner Bros. (including sister park Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi). For its “Cinema Under the Stars” events, which it presents on Friday evenings in November and December, the park features Warner Bros. movies. Because of its relationship with the studio, Yas Waterworld is, in fact, able to welcome big-name stars to its movie events. “We introduced ‘Super Hero Fridays,’” says Leander Werner de Wit, general manager. “Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the whole Justice League come to our big screen.”
Jumping In
Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri, has a different goal with the “Dive-In Movies” it presents at its water park, Oceans of Fun. Instead of driving attendance, the park introduced the film series in 2019 as an exclusive benefit for season passholders. “It was one of our most popular season pass events in 2019,” says Chris Foshee, communications manager for Worlds of Fun. “It’s just a neat atmosphere and gives families something new and unique to do.”
Foshee adds that he uses a local vendor to rent the projector, sound gear, and inflatable screen. Other parks have purchased their own equipment. Strobel says Nashville Shores bought its projection system from Open Air Cinema, which specializes in outdoor movie equipment. Wild Waves in Federal Way, Washington, enhanced its successful “Dive-In Movie” events by purchasing a permanent LED screen for its wave pool this season. The screen can display content during the day as well as after dark.
Arthur Levine covers the attractions industry for USA Today and authors Funworld’s “The Art of Attractions” column each month.
