Family brings tables, chairs, a cot, speakers, and a playground to a packed Toy Story 5 drive-in, then claims an entire parking spot is reserved for their kids: '[This place is for our kids to play]'

Author image for Celeste Mello
Celeste Mello • Writer and Editor
Jun 26, 2026 7:15 AM EDT

Imagine how packed the parking lot would be for a movie premiere as popular as Toy Story 5. It sounds like the perfect family plan for the weekend, and most people may have arrived early, hoping to grab a good spot. But what nobody would expect is to find a family treating the drive-in premiere like a private campsite for their kids.

Everyone knows that opening night attracts a lot of people, and nobody wants to spend the evening circling the lot to find somewhere to park, or worse, to end up without a parking spot. Well, a man arrived at the crowded drive-in with his wife and kids and began looking for an open space. When they thought they had found one, they noticed a table, chairs, food, speakers, and various belongings. There was basically a family picnic set in the parking spot. They seemed to be preparing for a camping trip instead of a movie night. And then, the dad's explanation made the situation even more absurd: the space wasn't meant for a vehicle, it was for the kids to play… At a packed drive-in… On opening night. 

Apparently, this family felt entitled to claim an additional parking space so their kids would have more room to run around. And not to mention the absurdity of the idea of kids playing between cars in the first place. A playground with moving cars doesn't sound safe to me.

After all, Toy Story 5 may be a family movie, but a parking lot is still not a private backyard. Parking spaces are meant for cars, not for picnic tables. And by the way, you might be forgetting the reason everyone came in, which is to watch the movie. 

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  • A happy family occupying a large outdoor space, represented by a model.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    A happy family occupying a large outdoor space, represented by a model.

  • AITAH, Toy Story 5 edition.

    TL;DR entitled family(s) was taking up a parking spot at the drive in because their kids were playing there. It's not a park or playground..
    via CheeseUs88
  • AITAH...Made plans to go see Toy Story 5 at the drive-in with the wife and kids. Get to the drive-in with 30 minutes or so to spare. Jammed pack. Of course it would be, it just came out.
    via CheeseUs88
  • Drove in and out of rows trying to find a decent spot. Found this one spot but noticed it was occupied by a table with food on it and other things around the parking spot. So I continued looking.
    via CheeseUs88
  • After driving down 3 or 4 more rows and not finding anything, I ended up in that same row with the table occupying a spot.
    via CheeseUs88
  • So I pulled in next to this table, and there was still plenty of room, enough so to park a mini van next to me. And as I pulled in I started to notice EVERYTHING they had out in this parking spot. The
    via CheeseUs88
  • table with the food on it, a cot that you can buy at Walmart, speakers, chairs (close to the cars).
    via CheeseUs88
  • An illustration of a child holding Toy Story characters: Woody and Buzz Lightyear, playing with them during a movie premiere.
    via Unsplash+ (Silvana Carlos)

    An illustration of a child holding Toy Story characters: Woody and Buzz Lightyear, playing with them during a movie premiere.

  • Guy approaches the hood of my truck and tells me this spot isn't available. And how everyone there was together, that they brought 7 cars and the place where I parked was for their kids to play. And I tell
    via CheeseUs88
  • him and point, there's enough space for them to play. So, we went back and forth and about me parking there. He's getting frustrated and the guy gets closer to my window, and I tell him not to get any closer.
    via CheeseUs88
  • He even offered to move his car where I was parked to make me "feel better" so I know me parking there wasn't the issue.
    via CheeseUs88
  • A representation of a busy parking lot filled with vehicles searching for available parking spaces.
    via Unsplash+ (Doug Bagg)

    A representation of a busy parking lot filled with vehicles searching for available parking spaces.

  • Again, we're going back and forth for several minutes about me parking there. No vulgar language no threats. So I told him to go find
    via CheeseUs88
  • someone that works there and see what they say. See if they think it's ok to take up a parking spot or see if I have to move.
    via CheeseUs88
  • There were some on lookers who pointed me in a better spot. Which I did take. Kinda disappointed we left before an employee got there to see what they would've said.
    via CheeseUs88
  • I get it, it was crowded, opening night for the movie, but the entitlement from those people just were frustrating.
    via CheeseUs88
  • An illustrative image of cars parked at a drive-in movie theater during a popular movie premiere night.
    via Unsplash+ (Jeff Pierre)

    An illustrative image of cars parked at a drive-in movie theater during a popular movie premiere night.

  • Vegetable_Road8143 Unless you paid the additional spot, you don't get a "spot" for your kids to play. How dense are you to have your kids play in a parking lot? Children playing and parking lots don't mix well!
    via Vegetable_Road8143
  • LivinTheDream_22 NTA - I would have stayed and waited until the manager showed up. It's not a playground, it's there for people to enjoy the movie. 99% of drive ins I've been to, have a specific area for kids to play.
    via LivinTheDream_22
  • Cheese Us88 OP I wanted to stay so bad, SO BAD, but the time was getting closer to the movie starting. I wanted to find a spot and get ourselves settled in.
    via CheeseUs88
  • bobhand17123 NTA. The drive-in we go to now requires reservations. Also, kids in a place meant for cars? How do YOU spell LIABILITY? IDK, but I feel like I can guess what an employee would(should) have said.
    via bobhand17123
  • Cheese Us88 OP I was almost 99.9% sure what the outcome would've been, but I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying there.
    via CheeseUs88
  • Soft_Location_9088 When you pay for a drive in you pay for one spot. If they paid for two spots I guess that would mean they were entitled to two spots. But if they only paid for one they only get one. The Drive in knows how many spots they have and will allow that many cars into the lot.
    via Soft_Location_9088

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toy story 5 entitled family drive in entitled people
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