Several factors contributed to the decline of the drive-in movie industry. Beginning in the late 1960s, drive-in attendance began to decline as the result of improvements and changes to home entertainment, from color television and cable TV to VCRs and video rental in the early 1980s.

Why did drive-in movies lose popularity?

"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 years did drive-ins peak in popularity?

A few others followed, but the concept didn't really get traction until the advent of in-car speakers in the early 1940s. By 1958, the number of drive-ins peaked at 4,063. "Drive-ins started to really take off in the '50s," Kopp said.

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-ins so popular in the 1960s?

The boom of automobiles and car ownership was the reason the drive-in thrived. Families could bring young kids or infants, and not have to worry about interrupting other movie goers or having to leave a busy theater. Young couples made drive-ins the popular spot for dates because of the privacy a car would allow.

The Rise And Fall Of The Drive-In Theater - Cheddar Explains

Were drive-ins popular in the 80s?

Drive-in movie theaters would remain popular and prevalent until the mid to late-1980s when traditional movie theaters came back into style.

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.

Why did drive-in movie theaters disappear?

Slowly, drive-ins began to lose their appeal. To have an effective drive-in, it had to be on at least 15 acres of land. Economically speaking, it became more practical for owners to close their drive-ins in order to sell their land to developers to build malls or multi-building complexes.

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?

Photos: Washington State Confronts COVID-19

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

Where is America's oldest drive-in?

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.

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.

Were drive-ins popular in the 70s?

Drive-in theaters were a huge thing from the 1950's through the 1970's, however they started to wane in the 1980's, and few exist in the U.S. today.

Why did drive-in movies fail?

America's rising car culture meant that more families and teens had the ability to drive to the outskirts of town to see a movie. But as those small towns grew, land became more expensive. The outskirts of town developed, and large drive-ins often weren't cost effective anymore.

Is a drive-in movie theater a good investment?

How much profit can a drive-in movie theater make? You may be making as little as 10% of each ticket sold when you are showing new releases during the summer blockbuster season. Concession items offer profit of 50 to 80%, but your operational expenses will eat into all those extra dollars.

What was one of the largest drive-in theaters?

The largest drive-in cinemas by car capacity were the Troy Drive-In, Detroit, Michigan, USA and the Panther Drive-In, Lufkin, Texas, USA. each able to hold 3,000 cars.

Where is the largest drive-in theater in North America?

Benjies Drive-In Theater (Middle River, MD)

Bengies is famous for its larger-than-life movie screen that clocks in at a whopping 52 feet high by 120 feet wide—it's considered the biggest movie theater screen in America.

Do they have drive-in movies in Florida?

Here's where. Drive-in movie theaters have a long history in Florida. The first opened in 1938 in Miami and, by the mid-'50s, there were more than 150 in the state.

What were drive-ins 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.

How many drive-in theaters are left in Texas?

Drive-in Theaters grew in popularity after WWII, reaching their peak in the late 1950s and 1960s. Today, there are just about 20 drive-in movie theaters left in Texas. Fortunately, Houstonians have a few options if they'd like to experience a drive-in movie.

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.

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.

What was movies like in the 1980s?

The period was when "high concept" films gained popularity, where films were expected to be easily marketable and understandable. Therefore, they had short cinematic plots that could be summarized in one or two sentences. The modern Hollywood blockbuster is the most popular film format from the 1980s.

What happened in Drive?

The Driver kills Nino. Bernie kills Shannon (Bryan Cranston), who's the Driver's mentor. And finally, the Driver kills Bernie. This effectively removes the threat to the Driver and Irene, which would allow them to be together since Standard is now out of the picture.