Giant Outdoor Movie Screens in Peru, Illinois

The Peru Parks and Recreation District screened Matilda at Centennial Park using an inflatable screen rented from Sunset Cinemas Inc. — a family business run by Brian and Carrie Brown of LaSalle-Peru, Illinois. The screen, roughly 26′ high and 40′ long, inflated in 12 minutes. Admission was free; families arrived with lawn chairs and blankets as dusk approached.

“It’s cool. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Mary Hammerich of Peru, who attended with her 7-year-old daughter. “It’s just like years ago at the old drive-in.”

Brian Brown, an engineer, first spotted an outdoor movie screening in Washington D.C. and spent years studying how to make the experience portable. The couple sourced their screens from a company in Utah and had completed around 60 events by October. Their large screen (40′×23′) holds up to 4,000 viewers; a second model (16′×9′) is used for schools and private events. They travel throughout the Midwest screening G, PG, and PG-13 titles, provided the client holds a public screening license.