After 19 years of disuse, the Santa Barbara Drive-In — located just minutes from campus — will burst back into life Friday night with the premier of “Iron Man 2.”

West Wind Theaters will reopen the drive-in at 907 South Kellogg Ave. in Goleta for the summer and, depending on how well the theater does, may choose to permanently reopen it. This weekend, the theater will show the highly anticipated sequel to “Iron Man” back-to-back, with the first screening scheduled to start at dusk. Employees expect that the 65-foot screen will entertain hundreds of moviegoers.

Starting Monday, the theater will start hosting double features. The first will be “How To Train Your Dragon” paired with “Iron Man”.

The theater will show a different pair of films every week and will be open daily from May 7 until an unannounced closing date later this summer. Adult tickets cost $6.75 and children’s tickets are only $1. The West Wind Drive-Ins also host Family Fun Nights on Tuesdays, where adult tickets are only $4.75.

According to Ken Krummes, spokesperson for West Wind Theatres, the group decided to formally reopen the theater after a local high school student successfully organized a charity event for Haiti at the drive-in. The event drew hundreds of attendees and raised approximately $3,500.

“We wanted to see how the community involvement was, and we got a great response,” Krummes said. “Depending on the response we get this summer, we might continue year-round or continue to reopen every summer.”

Helen Yu, a third-year Asian American studies and global studies major, said the drive-in will provide a unique experience for students.

“Now people can actually go on cute dates instead of just going to Freebirds,” she said.

The theater uses Technalight projection for the brightest and clearest projection, and the slanted parking lot ensures that all viewers are able to see the screen.

Tara Willard, a first-year communication major, said she is thrilled for the reopening of the drive-in and thinks it is a great, inexpensive way to have fun.

“I think the drive-in is a great alternative to the I.V. party scene,” Willard said.

According to Kummes, the theater will also boast a snack bar, which will serve Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn and Nathan’s hot dogs, in addition to an assortment of candies, pretzels and Pepsi products.

Kummes has hired six people for the reopening weekend and, depending on its success, may hire new employees looking for summer jobs.