How Many Drive-in Theaters Are Left in the US 2024?

Many outdoor theaters are chains like West Wind and Starlight.
The Ford Wyoming Drive-in in Dearborn, Michigan is the largest one, accommodating 3000 cars.
The smallest is the Spud Drive-in in Driggs, Idaho, fitting 75 cars.
In the 1950s and 1960s, drive-in theaters in the US peaked at over 4000.
Currently, a few hundred drive-ins remain in the US.
Some drive-ins see a resurgence now. One in Texas had a recent 40% revenue increase.
A company renting outdoor screens now focuses on LEDs, allowing daylight viewing.
Social distancing is a challenge though.
A Utah theater opening a drive-in let people use restrooms “one carload at a time.”

Drive-ins aren’t just for movies.
The first drive-in was created for a senior finding indoor theaters uncomfortable.
In 1932, he opened a patented drive-in accommodating 400 cars, playing “Wife Beware.”
More drive-ins opened across America.
By the late 1950s over 3000 drive-in theaters were in the US.

With more people trying drive-ins now, their popularity may increase after coronavirus restrictions end.
People can have tailgate-like experiences there with friends.
All 50 states, except Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, and North Dakota, still have some drive-ins operating.
America’s oldest operating drive-in is Shankweiler’s in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, dating from 1934.

The Ford Drive-in in Dearborn, Michigan is the largest one, accommodating 3000 cars.