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Drive-in Theaters Overview
- 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 Beyond Movies
- 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.
Drive-in Theaters Post-Coronavirus
- 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.
Big Drive-in Theaters
- The Ford Drive-in in Dearborn, Michigan is the largest one, accommodating 3000 cars.