At their peak in 1958, there were 4,063 drive-ins in the United States, a number that has since unfortunately dropped by 90 percent.

How many drive-ins were there in 1958?

By 1958, the number of drive-ins peaked at 4,063.

How many drive-in theaters were there in the 50s?

Drive-ins gained immense popularity 20 years later during the 1950s and '60s with the Baby Boomer generation. There were over 4,000 drive-ins throughout the U.S., and most were in rural areas.

How many drive-in theaters were there in 1955?

The industry reached an apex in August 1952, when the average weekly attendance at outdoor theaters surpassed that of traditional theaters by 1.3 million. By 1955, there were more than 3,700 drive-in theaters in the United States. That number peaked in 1958, when more than 4,000 drive-ins brought in $230.42 million.

What was the drive-in cinema in the 50s?

The drive-in movie lots could hold anywhere from 100-400 cars at a time. The cost to view the movie was 25 cents per car and an additional 25 cents per each person in the cars.

Drive In Cinema In Nairobi (1958)

What was a drive-in in the 1960s?

Invented in the US, drive-in theaters reached their peak popularity right after World War II during the '50s and '60s, allowing guests to enjoy B movies in a giant parking lot, under the stars and in the comfort of their cars.

What is the oldest drive-in movie?

The oldest drive-in still in operation is Shankweiler's Drive-In Theater in Orefield, Pennsylvania, USA. This outdoor cinema opened on 15 April 1934, less than a year after the world's first drive-in theatre opened in Camden, New Jersey.

What year were drive in movies most popular?

The drive-in's peak popularity came in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly in rural areas, with over 4,000 drive-ins spread across the United States in 1958.

When did drive in movies decline?

The Decline of Drive-in Theaters

Many say that the oil crisis during the 1970s – and the subsequent spike in gas prices – made families less likely to go out driving for their entertainment.

When did drive in movies lose popularity?

Beginning in the 1970s, when multiscreen venues in malls became the theatrical norm, the popularity of the drive-in declined steadily and eventually cratered.

What is the oldest drive-in theater in the US?

Nine miles northwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, sits America's oldest drive-in movie theater, first opened in 1934. While it was originally the second drive-in theater to open in America, Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre is now the only one left from the early 1930s.

What caused the decline of drive-in movie theaters?

"The decline of the drive-in was directly related to the movement away from Main Street America and towards the mall society, where convenience, times, weather and the idea of 'all-inclusive' became the popular way to enjoy a night out, pushing away the classic night out at the drive-in," Stefanopoulos elaborated.

What was the largest drive-in theater?

At its peak, the Ford-Wyoming had nine screens and a capacity of over 3,000 cars, leading it to become the largest drive-in theater in the world. In 2006, the owners sold the land on which the sixth through ninth screens were located. This decision was made due to a decline in population of the Detroit area.

When were drive-in movie theaters first around?

On June 6, 1933, eager motorists park their automobiles on the grounds of Camden Drive-In, the first-ever drive-in movie theater, located on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken, New Jersey.

How many drive-in theaters are left in the US?

The number of drive-in cinema sites in the United States remained at 321 in 2020, the same as in the previous years.

What state has the most drive-in theaters?

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New York (49), Pennsylvania (45), Ohio (44) and California (44) offer the most drive-ins, according to the association.

How did people watch movies in the 50s?

You went to the movie theatre and some were shown on TV on the few channels that existed. You could not rent or buy movies at the time. The 1950s were quite different from the 1960s when we had remote control and color TV.

Are drive-in movies successful?

For June through August 2020, about 21% of North American movie theaters in operation were drive-ins, and those fixed-screen outdoor cinemas had 70% of the box office revenue.

Why were drive in theaters popular in the 1930s?

Yet for the patrons, the one huge plus of the drive-in was the privacy afforded by the car. As well as taking away the need to ask children to be quiet, it also offered the ideal environment for a date, with the seductive combination of entertainment, darkness and privacy, all in a confined space.

Why do people go to drive ins?

You can see your favorite movies like never before: Whenever you go to the movie theater, there's always the risk that the film you're seeing will be a dud. However, most drive-in theaters play classics and fan-favorites, meaning that you've likely already seen the movie you're going to view and know you'll like it.

Were drive ins popular in the 40s?

The first drive-in movie theater opened on June 6, 1933. The concept accelerated in the 1940s, giving birth to memories of drive-in movies for many who lived in '40s through '70s.

How much was a movie ticket in 1933?

In 1933, the inflation-adjusted cost of a movie theater ticket was $6.14 - by 1937, this number had dropped all the way back down to $3.97 (inflation adjusted) as Americans struggled to afford nights out.

What was the first movie played in a drive-in theater?

The first film ever screened at a drive-in movie theater was British. On June 6, 1933, just outside Camden, New Jersey drivers paid 25 cents per car, plus an additional 25 cents per person to watch the English comedy Wives Beware at this quintessentially American institution in the open air.

Where was the world's first drive-in movie theater built?

Auto parts salesman Richard Hollingshead opened the world's first Drive-in Theatre in Camden, New Jersey on June 6th, 1933.

Is Drive set in the 80s?

While Drive is set in the present day, it has a 1980s atmosphere, underlined by the vehicles, music, and clothes, and by the architecture.