The Rise and Fall of Drive-In Theaters
On a late spring evening in 1933, a crowd of moviegoers in New Jersey embarked on an entirely new viewing experience. They parked their cars in a lot in the town of Camden, and settled in to watch the film from their very own automobiles under the nighttime stars. It was the world’s first drive-in theater, dreamed up by a local automotive chemicals salesman named Richard Hollingshead Jr.
The Rise
Hollingshead had come up with the concept not long before. The 33-year-old entrepreneur tested his idea in his own driveway, setting up a projector on the hood of his car and hanging a white sheet from the trees. On May 16, Hollingshead received a patent for his “park-in,” (the term “drive-in” caught on later) and just three weeks later, the first theater opened on June 6 with a showing of the British comedy Wives Beware.
Patrons paid 25 cents per car plus another quarter per person; a car with three or more people was charged a flat rate of $1. Hollingshead was proud to offer a different moviegoing experience, boasting, “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are.”
The novelty of the drive-in caught on slowly at first. But by the end of the 1940s, with World War II in the rearview, Americans and their growing families were ready to indulge in leisure and entertainment. Families didn’t have to dress up, kids could doze off in the back seat, and you could bring your own snacks — or heed the call of the animated intermission ads urging a trip to concessions for hot dogs, popcorn, and candy galore.
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The Peak
By the late 1950s, drive-in theaters were booming. At the trend’s peak, more than 4,000 locations dotted the country, mostly in rural and suburban areas where land was plentiful. The Johnny All-Weather Drive-In in Copiague, New York, was one of the most elaborate. When it opened in 1957, it had room for 2,500 cars, a full-service restaurant, a playground, and even a shuttle train to ferry moviegoers from their cars to the amenities. Other drive-ins, including the 99W in Oregon (opened in 1953) or the Bengies in Maryland (opened in 1956), became beloved local institutions that are still operating even today.
Drive-ins weren’t just movie theaters — they became all-out destinations. Some added mini-golf, pony rides, and swing sets right underneath the massive screens, enticing kids to play until showtime at dusk. Of course, these outdoor theaters also played a starring role in the burgeoning teenage and youth culture. For many, the drive-in was where they went on their first date, shared a first kiss, or congregated with friends, the movie sometimes secondary to the memories being made under the stars.
The Fall
In the 1970s, though, business started slowing down. The oil crisis caused Americans to drive less, while the proliferation of color TV sets and VCRs brought movies into the living room. And importantly, the huge plots of land beneath the drive-in screens eventually became more valuable than the drive-in businesses themselves. A theater needed 10 to 15 acres of open space, often in growing suburbs where developers were eager to build shopping malls or more homes. The screens slowly started going dark.
Even so, the drive-in never fully disappeared. A few hundred theaters held on, many family-run and fiercely beloved. Today, fewer than 300 drive-ins remain in operation across the U.S. While that may be a fraction of the number of drive-ins at its midcentury peak, the institution nonetheless survives thanks to nostalgia, community support, and a shared memory of an earlier time.
