'Pretty devastated': Austin's Blue Starlite drive-in victim of theft
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin drive-in movie theater chain Blue Starlite confirmed its newest location was robbed this week.
The theft happened at their location at 500 VFW Road, the business said in an Instagram post. Blue Starlite added all of their locations have now been robbed over the years -- and this latest attack also targeted a fellow small, local business at the property.
"We are pretty devastated that we took another hit and, to be honest, we can't really take any more hits," Blue Starlite wrote in the latest post. "We already were using the last of our working equipment as due to the previous robberies we no longer have backup equipment. We will soldier on, and will do our best to stay open in the way we have been this year."
Just last January, Blue Starlite's owner and creator Josh Frank told KXAN approximately 80% of the downtown location's equipment was stolen as a result of a robbery in early 2023.
Lost equipment from this latest theft included blu-ray players, iPads, laptops, projectors, cords and AV supplies -- all the business' tech equipment stolen from its main office trailer. In total, it amounted to roughly $5,000 or $6,000 in losses, Frank said.
"It's really depressing because, you know, we work so hard to keep this business going," Frank told KXAN Friday. "It's very hard to have a small business, as you can imagine, in this day and age, especially a little movie theater business."
Staff said they will continue to run a few screens this week but won't be able to incorporate any "additional independent titles to our slate" until they're able to recoup those tech losses.
Adding insult to injury, Frank said the theft comes after the the business' launch of "Silent Synced," an endeavor pairing classic silent films with rock music. The screenings will be available at Blue Starlite locations as well as independent cinemas and drive-ins across the country.
"It's weird to get the punch in the gut with the drive-in the same month as we're sort of having this grand moment of our next big thing," Frank said.
Blue Starlite added in the Instagram post its downtown location remains open on its limited summer schedule. They said patrons' support will help the business replace the stolen equipment and beef up security at the business.
Those looking to aid Blue Starlite in its recovery efforts can buy tickets to upcoming shows or book a private screening with the company. Blue Starlite also launched a GoFundMe to help recoup losses.
"The bottom line is private rentals, gift certificates, people buying drive-in nights for their friends? That helps," Frank said.
More details on Blue Starlite are available online.