Couple Opens New Jersey’s First Black-Owned Drive-In Movie Theater

Last month, Ayana Stafford-Morris, an award-winning filmmaker, and her husband Siree, a real estate developer, opened Newark Moonlight Cinema in Newark, New Jersey — reportedly the state’s first ever Black-owned drive-in movie theater.

“I’ve been wanting to open up a movie theater of my own for some years now, my husband and I have talked extensively about it, and done a lot of research,” Ayana said in a press release. “We were trying to find out how to make that happen, so when I saw this I knew it was a great opportunity for me to capitalize on and remix a goal of mine. It’s not a traditional movie theater, but it’s very close to it, so I’m excited about that.”

Since the theater opened on July 14, it has featured a number of Black films including, “Princess & The Frog,” “Queen & Slim,” “Harlem Nights,” “Girls Trip,” “Set It Off,” “Creed 2,” and “Just Mercy,” to name a few.

“We see a lot of [drive-in theaters] are playing ‘Jaws’ and ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,’ and we love those films, we’ve probably all seen them a million times by now, but those are not films that appeal to my demographic and the community that I serve,” Ayana said, per Comtex.

Newark Moonlight Cinema is currently open through October 4.

Photo: Getty Images