WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Forsyth County has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the Triad, which could be a concern for residents trying to find safe, fun things to do this summer.

Marketplace Cinemas shut its doors in March under Gov. Roy Cooper's orders. When they heard the news, they came up with another idea to serve customers safely.

Manager and Head Projectionist Zack Fox and his team began creating a drive-in theater outside in the cinema's parking lot. They reformatted a movie projector and display films on a screen outside of the building. The audio is played on the radio.

"In the hard-top cinemas it's going to be hard to keep everybody social distanced, comfortable, and stuff," Fox explains, "but this is a great way to keep everybody safe, feeling comfortable in their car. They can sit their whole family and enjoy the movie and see some of Hollywood's greatest hits."

The drive-in was sold out on its opening night Friday. The Hollywood classic "Smokey and the Bandit" was featured.

Fox says, "We're really excited to be a new drive-in in Winston and be able to allow Piedmont Triad people to come to Winston to see a nice drive-in movie."

The theater only fills its parking lot to half capacity to ensure social distancing. Moviegoers can still go inside of the building to get popcorn, candy, and other concessions. Food trucks offer a different variety of snacks.

The community has embraced the Marketplace's newest feature. Matt Johnson is excited to see a summer classic make a comeback in the Triad.

He says, "Everybody's been sort of cloistered for the past few months and it's nice to finally do some normal things we previously didn't even think about doing, and now it seems like a real treat to just do simple things like going to the movies."

To see a full list of Marketplace Cinemas' summer features, click here.