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List of drive-in theaters

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Signage for 66 Drive-In, Carthage, Missouri

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

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Australia

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Main article: List of drive-in theatres in Australia
Bass Hill Drive-In Cinema in New South Wales, Australia

About 330 drive-in theatres were established in Australia, following the Skyline, established in 1954 in Melbourne.

United States

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Bengies Drive-In Theatre in Middle River, Maryland

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).[NRHP] Notable U.S. examples include:

List of drive-in theatres in the United States
Name City State Founded Defunct Remarks Reference
66 Drive-In Carthage on U.S. Route 66 Missouri 1949 [NRHP] [3][4]
88 Drive-In Commerce City Colorado 1971 [5]
56 Auto Drive-In Theater Massena New York 1955
Bengies Drive-In Theatre Middle River Maryland 1956 [6]
Beverly Drive-In Theatre Forrest County Mississippi 1948 2010 [NRHP] [7]
Blue Fox Drive-In Island County Washington 1959 [8]
Boulevard Drive-In Theater Allentown Pennsylvania 1949 1985 [9]
Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theatre & Diner Honor Michigan 1953 [10]
Cumberland Drive-In Newville Pennsylvania 1952 [11]
Family Drive-In Theatre Stephens City Virginia 1956 [12]
Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop Fort Lauderdale Florida 1963 14 screens [13]
Hull's Drive In Lexington Virginia 1950 [14]
Kanopolis Drive-in Theatre Kanopolis Kansas 1952 [15]
King Drive-In Russellville Alabama 1949 [16]
Mahoning Drive-In Theater Lehighton Pennsylvania 1949 [17]
Mendon Twin Drive-In Mendon Massachusetts 1954 [18]
Midway Drive-In Sterling Illinois 1950 [19]
Midway Drive-In Ravenna Ohio 1955 [20]
Midway Drive-In Quitaque Texas 1955 2011 [21]
Moonlite Theatre Abingdon Virginia 1949 2013 [NRHP] [22]
Route 35 Drive-In Hazlet New Jersey 1956 1991 [23]
Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre Orefield Pennsylvania 1934 [24]
Silvermoon Drive-in Lakeland Florida 1948 [25]
Spud Drive-In Theater Driggs Idaho 1953 Features a giant potato [NRHP] [26]
Wellfleet Drive-In Theater Wellfleet Massachusetts 1957 [27]
Ford-Wyoming Drive-In Dearborn Michigan 1950 [28]
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See also

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References

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  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  1. ^ Miriam Porter (April 11, 2016). "Visit these Canadian Drive In Theatres while you still can". Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  2. ^ Leigh Lumford. "There Are 338 Drive-In Theaters Left in America — Here's Where to Find Them". Archived from the original on 2016-06-25. Retrieved 2016-06-11.
  3. ^ "66 Drive-In in Carthage, MO - Cinema Treasures". Cinema Treasures. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  4. ^ Bleiberg, Larry (October 15, 2013). "10 great drive-in movie theaters". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 15, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  5. ^ Kilgore, M.; Briggs, J.B.; Mitchell, K.J. (2020). Drive-Ins of Colorado. Neon Jukebox. pp. 64–66. ISBN 978-1-7333655-3-6. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  6. ^ As of 2019, it is the only drive-in theater in Maryland and sports the largest movie screen in the United States.
  7. ^ "Beverly Drive-In burns to ground". Hattiesburgamerican.com. October 30, 2010. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  8. ^ "Blue Fox Drive-In".
  9. ^ Shope, Dan (June 26, 1998). "Nursing Home Planned For Drive-in Site". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  10. ^ Ellison, Garret (September 12, 2013). "Cherry Bowl Drive-In Movie Theater in Honor Wins digital Projection System from Honda". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  11. ^ "Cumberland Drive-In Theater Enters Contest for Digital Projector". The Sentinel. August 19, 2013. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  12. ^ Bradshaw, Vic (September 3, 2013). "At Family Drive-In, show goes on, and on, and on". The Winchester Star. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  13. ^ "Swap shop history". drive-ins.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
  14. ^ Lamb, David (September 2, 2003). "Drive-In Theaters Flicker Back to Life". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  15. ^ Mowery-Denning, Linda (May 12, 2011), "Kanopolis Drive-in offers old-fashioned movie experience", Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter, vol. 135, no. 38, Ellsworth, KS, p. A1, A5
  16. ^ Pounders, Vicki (April 20, 1989). "Russellville drive-in still going after 40 years". Times-Daily. Florence, AL: Tennessee Valley Printing Co. pp. 1A, 5A. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  17. ^ Abrams, Simon (July 9, 2021). "The Schlock-Horror Drive-In That Rose From the Grave". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  18. ^ Owen, Paula (March 16, 2014). "Phantom Gourmet brothers buy Mendon drive-in". Worcester Telegram. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  19. ^ "Down In Front". Filmsnobbery. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2010. 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.
  20. ^ Fredmonsky, Matt (May 4, 2009). "Midway Drive-In a unique treat". Record-Courier. Archived from the original on May 6, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  21. ^ "Midway Drive-In in Quitaque, TX - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Archived from the original on 2007-09-06. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
  22. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  23. ^ "Route 35 Drive-In". Cinema Treasures. Cinema Treasures, LLC. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  24. ^ "Shankweiler's Drive In Theatre History". Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  25. ^ "Silvermoon History". Silvermoon Drive-In. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  26. ^ Horne, Rachel (May 19, 2011). "The Spud closes after 58 years". Teton Valley News. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  27. ^ Hughes, Holly; West, Larry (2008). Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear. Frommer's. p. 440. ISBN 978-0-470-18986-3. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  28. ^ "Dearborn's Beloved Ford-Wyoming Drive-In Theatre Earns National Recognition". Corp Magazine. August 6, 2014. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
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