By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published May 15, 2020 at 12:56 PM

What used to be an endangered species is now the hottest thing in entertainment since butter met popcorn, as drive-ins leap in value across the country. And while Wisconsin has only a handful of screens, their numbers are growing as pop-ups appear in the parking lots of restaurants, arts organizations – and now a baseball stadium, as the Milwaukee Milkmen will open The Milky Way Drive-In at its home diamond.

Hosted at the team's Ballpark Commons in Franklin, the new drive-in movie experience will screen two showings daily when the Milkmen are out of town, starting on Memorial Day weekend and running through Labor Day – with family-friendly flicks set for the early shows and more adult-oriented entertainment for the evening showings as well as a weekly late-night feature in the works.

The drive-in will house 150 vehicles, all gazing together at a 40-foot LED screen, with audio provided by FM frequency. As for movie snacks, the stadium will serve classic park food and drink using a car-hop delivery system, in addition to bringing in a rotating assortment of food trucks and food partners to sate most cravings. 

"Given our current shared challenge in combating COVID-19 via social distancing, the drive-in concept is a great way to gradually and safely 'return to community,'" said Mike Zimmerman, CEO of ROC Ventures, developer of the Ballpark Commons mixed-use development and owner of the Milwaukee Milkmen, in a release. "The Milky Way Drive-In offers a terrific food-and-entertainment ‘night out’ experience in a safe environment."

Night one of the new drive-in will roll film on Friday, May 22. As for now, the official showtimes, prices and, most important of all, movie selections will be announced at a later date, so stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for more updates – and we'll see you at the movies. 

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.