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The Drive-In Theater Turns 75Explore more photos from the story |
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D. Vogel, owner of the Benjies Drive-In near Baltimore, Md., said the price of land is the real reason many drive-ins folded.
"People would build on the outskirts of town, and the town would grow," he said. Combine that with the fact that so many drive-ins were mom-and-pop businesses that few descendants chose to continue running, he explained. The results were a sinking number of drive-ins throughout the country.
"There's not enough income in it or else you'd see AMC or others getting drive-ins," Vogel said. "It's hard-earned money."
Today some 400 drive-ins remain in the United States, a number that has not changed much in the past five years. Another 100 drive-ins exist outside the United States, mainly in Canada and Australia. Kopp said the concept is suddenly becoming popular in China.
More than 75 percent of the drive-ins in this country are privately owned small businesses, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners.
"Digital cinema will be both an opportunity and a threat for drive-in owners," said the association's director of media and research Patrick Corcoran in an e-mail. "An opportunity because digital will allow them to get new movies sooner than they do—they are often weeks behind the break for new films. It's a threat in that the digital transition will be expensive to manage, and some may not be able to do it."
Kopp of course bets on the drive-ins' survival. In 2005, he and his wife bought the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre in Henderson, N.C., for $22,000 on eBay. He said they've invested about $300,000 since to clear the seven acres of weeds and modernize the technology. Today the theatre can accommodate 265 cars and show movies in a 60-foot-by-80-foot screen. The sound comes through car radios.
Film fare of the Raleigh Road and other drive-ins typically consists of G-rated films, Kopp said. Disney movies thrive, as do animated films.
Comments
I remember many a night at the drive in at Paramus NJ
Posted by Fred Nungesser on June 3,2008 | 01:19PM
The "Twin-Aire" drive-in in Indianapolis holds many childhood memories from the 60's for me.
Posted by Bill Mundy on June 5,2008 | 04:32PM
I still love going to the Warwick Drive-In in Warwick, New York. It's great on weekends, especially when the weather is nice, to sit outside and watch a movie on the big screen.
Posted by Jessica Carlin on June 11,2008 | 12:48PM
Our children love the Shankweiler Drive-In! It is a wonderful place to watch movies.
Posted by Leandra Stoudt on June 22,2008 | 08:16PM
Cloverleaf Drive-In at the bottom of the hill and next to the Canal in Valley View, Ohio...of course there was a Big Boy Restaurant across the street which was a great after show stop in our muscle cars...and gas was cheap!
Posted by Zipexec on July 1,2008 | 01:29PM
GOING TO THE 88TH DRIVE-IN IN COMMERCE CITY,COLORADO IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SUMMER. YOU CAN'T BEAT THE DOUBLE FEATURE DEAL,TAKING THE DOG,THE KIDS, AND WATCHING THE PEOPLE SET UP FOR THE MOVIE. GETTING READY FOR THE MOVIE IS HALF THE FUN!
Posted by ERik Hegstrom on July 5,2008 | 12:48PM
There is a drive in theater on the naval base in Rota, Spain, that I used to go to as a teenager when my mom was stationed there. My friends and I had some of our best times there! I understand it's still used on weekends. Some of us are wondering whether it's the only drive in theater in Europe, but I can't seem to find that information via any search engines. Does anyone know or have ideas where to find out? Thanks!
Posted by Michelle Hauser on August 12,2008 | 08:34PM
are town may be one of a few that still has a drive in.
Cere's,CA
Posted by jim on September 29,2009 | 07:51PM
There are two on either side of my hometown (Gasport NY)... one is in Middleport NY and the other is in Lockport NY, both within ten miles of my house. I didn't know this was weird until after I graduated high school!
Posted by Beth on November 12,2009 | 01:26PM