Whatever Happened to Drive-In Theaters? A Brief History

American's have always had a love affair with cars, so it was only a matter of time before someone joined together this passion for automobiles with one of America's favorite past times - the movies.

Origins
The drive-in theater was invented in New Jersey by Richard Hollingshead. For a screen he used a sheet hung in some trees. He then rigged up a projector, stuck a radio for sound behind the sheet and began testing the practicality of watching movies from a car. He tested the idea thoroughly, even using his sprinkler to simulate watching a movie in the rain. The tests went well, except for one small hitch. The cars in front would block the view of the cars in the rear. Hollingsworth solved the problem by spacing the cars much as seats are spaced in a traditional theater and designing ramps so that the front of each car would provide the best angle for viewing the screen. Hollingsworth submitted this system to the U.S. Patent Office in August, 1932. In May of the following year he was issued patent number 1,909,537. The drive-in theater was born.

Growing Pains
Drive-in theaters began popping up throughout the country during the 1930's. Growth was slow but steady. World War II slows the construction of new drive-ins, as the materials necessary for construction is rationed by the government. In addition, the rationing of rubber for car tires, gasoline, and other staples necessary for drive-in theaters are scarce.

Explosion
After the war, with the Baby Boom in full swing, drive-in theaters expanded exponentially. People with babies, looking for something to do, found they could still enjoy movies and bring baby along if they did so from the comfort of their cars. Drive-in theaters served this need perfectly. The number of drive-in theaters exploded from under 200 in 1946 to over 800 by 1948. The drive-in theater had arrived.

A Tale of Two Fifties
The movie industry began slumping badly during the 1950s. Television was becoming the medium of choice, and the movie industry was hemorrhaging money. Traditional theaters began closing, unable to compete with television and the sudden boom of babies and young children that were keeping much of the traditional movie audience at home. While over 5,000 traditional theaters closed during the 1950s, drive-in theaters were booming. From 1948 to 1958 drive-in theaters went from under 1,000 nationwide to 5,000 by 1958. Drive-in theaters became the place where parents with young children could enjoy a movie while the kids played on the drive-in's playground. The whole family could eat there too. It was the one-stop shopping of entertainment.

All Good Things
During the 1960s and '70s, drive-in theaters began their slow decline. The babies of the boomer generation were no longer babies, and the core audience for drive-in theaters, families, stopped attending. Teenagers and young adults made up the bulk of the audience by the '60s, and drive-in theaters reflected that change, showing exploitation and B-movies as well as second-run films.

By the mid '80s there were approximately 3000 drive-in theaters still in operation. Most were turning a profit, but as the real-estate market heated up in the 1980s, drive-in theater owners began selling off their properties. By 1990, fewer than 1000 drive-in theaters were left. Drive-in theaters had become déclassé.

Nostalgia Returns
The 1990s saw the drastic decline in drive-in theaters level out as families began to rediscover drive-ins as an inexpensive way for the entire family to see a movie. The resurgence of family movies in the 1990s also helped drive-in business. While the numbers aren't nearly what they were during the 1950s, drive-in theaters appear to have stabilized their business. Some have even gone to multiple screens.

Drive-in Trivia
The All-Weather Drive-In in Copiague, New York was one of the largest drive-ins in the nation. It was a 28-acre facility with parking for 2,500 cars, a climate-controlled indoor seating area that could accommodate over a thousand people, playgrounds, a full-service restaurant and a shuttle train that transported movie-goers around the facility.

Source: http://www.driveintheatre-ownersassociation.org/