The Story

Childhood Memories

I will never forget the first time my parents took me to the drive-in movie theatre. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was playing at the Bridgton Twin Drive-In Theatre in Bridgton, Maine. It was a warm summer night; stars filled the sky, and people sat on the grass with blankets and in the back of pickup trucks with sleeping bags and pillows. I remember the excitement and how magical the evening was.

That childhood experience stayed with me throughout my adult life. I looked forward to the Bridgton Twin Drive-In Theatre opening each spring and lamented its closing every fall. But I wanted more; I wanted to bring that same magical experience of watching movies outdoors to my backyard whenever I wanted, regardless of the time of year.

Residential Outdoor Movie Theaters

I started researching residential outdoor movie theater setups online and found only two types existed: the aluminum frame and screen system and the inflatable air screen system. Initially, I purchased an aluminum screen frame outdoor movie theater package and liked its lightweight and streamlined design. The setup took 15-20 minutes, and I discovered that the screen frame only works on perfectly flat surfaces. Unfortunately, the only area on my property where I could set up my outdoor movie theater was not level. Disappointed, I returned the outdoor movie theater package the following day.

My last option was to try the inflatable outdoor movie theater package. I appreciated that the inflatable setup had fewer parts than the aluminum frame system. However, after 25 minutes of running my air compressor to inflate the screen, I realized I didn’t want to endure this setup every time I watched a movie outside. The inflatable air screen’s overall appearance did not blend with my outdoor landscaping and seemed more suitable for a town fair than my backyard. The inflatable outdoor movie theater package was returned, and there were no other outdoor movie theater options to try.

Building Dreams

After testing out the aluminum screen frame system and the inflatable air screen package, I envisioned creating an outdoor movie theater on my property that would eliminate the hassle of unboxing materials, assembling the screen frame and projector screen, and setting up cinema electronics each time I wanted to enjoy a movie outside. I wanted to create a permanent outdoor movie theater solution that would be as easy to use as my home’s TV and entertainment system.

I started designing and building different prototype screen frame systems in my wood shop. Eventually, I created a permanent screen frame I liked, set it up next to my bonfire pit, and everything started coming together. The pressure-treated screen frame I built had a rustic aesthetic look and blended perfectly with my wooded backyard.

The challenging part came next: organizing all the cinema electronics and positioning the projector at the right height to ensure casting movies onto the projector screen were perfectly aligned. After researching online, I found no solutions. Using throw distance calculations from the projector to the screen, I built several projector stands in my woodshop and developed a design that brought my vision to life.

Bringing Movie Magic to Backyards

My friends and family loved the wireless outdoor movie theater I had built and watched movies by the bonfire whenever the weather permitted. I wanted to bring that same excitement and passion to other homeowners, so I started the Wireless Outdoor Cinema Company.

Five years later, I still feel fortunate and grateful for all the positive feedback from customers, family, friends, and the media. I hope you and I get to know each other and explore the possibilities of building your dream backyard movie theater together.

My name is Todd Morton, and I build the only permanent residential outdoor movie theaters with the fastest and easiest setup available. I know you will love the experience of watching movies under the moon and stars in the privacy of your backyard as much as I do with my Timberline Series Outdoor Movie Theaters.

My best,