List of drive-in theaters explained

This is a list of drive-in theaters. A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view films from their cars.

This list includes active and defunct drive-in theaters.

Drive-in theatres

Australia

See main article: List of drive-in theatres in Australia. About 330 drive-in theatres were established in Australia, following the Skyline, established in 1954 in Melbourne.

United States

The first drive-in was opened in 1933 in New Jersey.[1] As of 2017, around 330 drive-in theaters were operating in the United States, down from a peak of around 4,000 in the late 1950s.[2] At least six are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Notable U.S. examples include:

List of drive-in theatres in the United States
Name City State Founded Defunct Remarks Reference
Missouri 1949 [3]
Colorado 1971 [4]
56 Auto Drive-In TheaterNew York 1955
Maryland 1956 [5]
Mississippi 1948 2010 [6]
Washington 1959 url=https://www.bluefoxdrivein.com archive-url=https://www.bluefoxdrivein.com/ url-status=live
} |-| Boulevard Drive-In Theater|| Allentown|| Pennsylvania|| 1949|| 1985|| || [7] |-| Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theatre & Diner || Honor|| Michigan|| 1953 || || || [8] |-| Cumberland Drive-In|| Newville || Pennsylvania || 1952 || || || [9] |-| Family Drive-In Theatre|| Stephens City|| Virginia|| 1956 || || || [10] |-| Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop|| Fort Lauderdale|| Florida|| 1963 || || 14 screens|| [11] |-| Hull's Drive In || Lexington|| Virginia|| 1950|| || || [12] |-|Kanopolis Drive-in Theatre || Kanopolis || Kansas ||| 1952 || || || |-| King Drive-In || Russellville|| Alabama|| 1949 || || || [13] |-| Mahoning Drive-In Theater || Lehighton || Pennsylvania || 1949 || || || [14] |-| Mendon Twin Drive-In || Mendon || Massachusetts|| 1954 || || || [15] |-| Midway Drive-In|| Sterling || Illinois || 1950 || || || [16] |-| Midway Drive-In || Ravenna || Ohio || 1955 || || || [17] |-| Midway Drive-In|| Quitaque|| Texas|| 1955 || 2011 || || [18] |-| Moonlite Theatre || Abingdon|| Virginia || 1949 || 2013 || || [19] |-| Route 35 Drive-In || Hazlet|| New Jersey || 1956 || 1991 || || [20] |-| Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre|| Orefield|| Pennsylvania || 1934 || || || [21] |-| Silvermoon Drive-in|| Lakeland|| Florida || 1948 || || || [22] |-| Spud Drive-In Theater|| Driggs|| Idaho|| 1953 || || Features a giant potato || [23] |-| Wellfleet Drive-In Theater|| Wellfleet|| Massachusetts || 1957 || || || [24] |-| Ford-Wyoming Drive-In || Dearborn || Michigan|| 1950 || || [25] |}

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Visit these Canadian Drive In Theatres while you still can . Miriam Porter . April 11, 2016 . May 9, 2017 . May 8, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170508222850/http://www.wheels.ca/top-ten/visit-these-canadian-drive-in-theatres-while-you-still-can/ . live .
  2. Web site: There Are 338 Drive-In Theaters Left in America — Here's Where to Find Them . Leigh Lumford . 2016-06-11 . 2016-06-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160625133644/http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/drivein-theater-open-find-location#indiana . live .
  3. Web site: 66 Drive-In in Carthage, MO - Cinema Treasures. October 7, 2019. Cinema Treasures. October 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191007195806/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/8551. live.
  4. Book: Kilgore . M. . Briggs . J.B. . Mitchell . K.J. . Drive-Ins of Colorado . Neon Jukebox . 2020 . 978-1-7333655-3-6 . 2023-06-05 . 64–66 . 2023-06-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230605081031/https://books.google.com/books?id=fzb5zQEACAAJ . live .
  5. As of 2019, it is the only drive-in theater in Maryland and sports the largest movie screen in the United States.
  6. Web site: Beverly Drive-In burns to ground. Hattiesburgamerican.com. October 30, 2010. June 12, 2014. September 4, 2012. https://archive.today/20120904121747/http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20101031/NEWS01/10310346/Beverly-Drive-burns-ground. live.
  7. News: Nursing Home Planned For Drive-in Site. The Morning Call. June 26, 1998. February 28, 2013. Shope, Dan. July 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140715164853/http://articles.mcall.com/1998-06-26/news/3193245_1_nursing-care-nursing-home-lower-macungie. live.
  8. News: Garret. Ellison. September 12, 2013. Cherry Bowl Drive-In Movie Theater in Honor Wins digital Projection System from Honda. MLive. Booth Newspapers. September 23, 2013. September 27, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130927040321/http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/09/cherry_bowl_drive-in_movie_the.html. live.
  9. Web site: Cumberland Drive-In Theater Enters Contest for Digital Projector . The Sentinel . August 19, 2013 . August 20, 2013 . August 20, 2013 . https://archive.today/20130820235801/http://cumberlink.com/news/local/cumberland-drive-in-theater-enters-contest-for-digital-projector/article_76fe98f2-0920-11e3-b0eb-001a4bcf887a.html . live .
  10. News: Bradshaw . Vic . September 3, 2013 . At Family Drive-In, show goes on, and on, and on . The Winchester Star . November 8, 2014 . dead . https://archive.today/20141108041654/http://www.winchesterstar.com/article/at_family_drive_in_show_goes_on_and_on_and_on . November 8, 2014 .
  11. Web site: Swap shop history . drive-ins.com . 2019-09-05 . 2017-12-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171229112146/http://drive-ins.com/theater/fltswap/swap-shop-drive-in-fort-lauderdale-fl . dead .
  12. News: Drive-In Theaters Flicker Back to Life . September 5, 2019 . . September 2, 2003 . David . Lamb . September 5, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190905193506/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-sep-02-na-drivein2-story.html . live .
  13. News: Vicki . Pounders . . . Tennessee Valley Printing Co. . Russellville drive-in still going after 40 years . 1A, 5A . April 20, 1989 . March 28, 2013 . May 3, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240503070736/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=310eAAAAIBAJ&pg=2916,3745618&dq=king+drive-in&hl=en . live .
  14. Web site: The Schlock-Horror Drive-In That Rose From the Grave. Abrams. Simon. July 9, 2021. The New York Times. July 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210715221119/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/nyregion/mahoning-drive-in-pennsylvania.html. July 15, 2021. live.
  15. Web site: Phantom Gourmet brothers buy Mendon drive-in . March 16, 2014 . Paula . Owen . Worcester Telegram . September 5, 2019 . September 5, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190905195738/https://www.telegram.com/article/20140316/NEWS/303169885/1160 . live .
  16. News: Down In Front . The first drive in theater to be opened in the state of Illinois is the Midway Drive In And Diner located in Sterling, Illinois, in 1950. The Midway is home to the oldest drive-in theater screen in Illinois, making it an official historical landmark. . . October 26, 2010 . July 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110711002338/http://filmsnobbery.com/down-in-front/down-in-front-the-midway-drive-in-and-diner/ . live .
  17. News: Matt . Fredmonsky . Midway Drive-In a unique treat . . May 4, 2009 . June 3, 2009 . May 6, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090506040149/http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4579884 . live .
  18. Web site: Midway Drive-In in Quitaque, TX - Cinema Treasures. cinematreasures.org. 2019-09-05. 2007-09-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20070906115346/http://cinematreasures.org/theater/13083/. live.
  19. Web site: Virginia Landmarks Register. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. June 5, 2013. September 21, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053819/http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_counties_cities.htm. live.
  20. Web site: Route 35 Drive-In. Cinema Treasures. Cinema Treasures, LLC. March 5, 2015. April 2, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402165858/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/8098. live.
  21. Web site: Shankweiler's Drive In Theatre History. October 7, 2019. Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre. October 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191006043714/http://www.shankweilers.com/history.html. live.
  22. Web site: Silvermoon History . October 29, 2010 . Silvermoon Drive-In.
  23. News: Horne. Rachel. The Spud closes after 58 years. May 19, 2011. Teton Valley News. May 19, 2011. May 21, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110521034308/http://www.tetonvalleynews.net/news/the-spud-closes-after-years/article_e0f5a376-822d-11e0-9723-001cc4c002e0.html. live.
  24. Book: Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear . 440 . Holly . Hughes . Larry . West . Frommer's . November 2, 2010 . 2008 . 978-0-470-18986-3 . May 3, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240503070723/https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=xMDPksxFhCYC&redir_esc=y . live .
  25. Web site: Dearborn's Beloved Ford-Wyoming Drive-In Theatre Earns National Recognition . Corp Magazine . August 6, 2014 . April 17, 2022 . August 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220818170647/https://www.corpmagazine.com/break-room/picture-that/dearborns-beloved-ford-wyoming-drive-in-theatre-earns-national-recognition/ . live .

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