Drive in theaters - General Discussion Discussion

[–] mikethemartian (6719) 3 years ago

I remember them from the 70s. They were making a bit of a comeback two years ago with the Covid pandemic.

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[–] BillySlater (4241) 3 years ago

Yeah I heard they had a mini-boom. I wasnt around in the 70s but they were on the decline in the 90s when vhs rentals became popular.

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[–] mikethemartian (6719) 3 years ago

In the early 90s I lived in the Ft. Lauderdale, FL area and they had a giant flea market called The Swap Shop and they had drive in movies but I never went to one.

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[–] sslssg (34222) 3 years ago

I worked at the last one in my city. Daylight savings kind of did them in here are we are too far north, and it stayed light too late.

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[–] jonathan_k80 (6436) 3 years ago

Another reason why Daylight Stupidity Time should have been abolished long ago.

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[–] R_Kane (15828) 3 years ago

Thank you, Jonathan!

And fuck Ben Franklin. Let’s put Alfred E Newman on the $100 bill!

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[–] jonathan_k80 (6436) 3 years ago

The sad thing is, Benjamin Franklin wasn't serious when he wrote the article. He was making a tongue-in-cheek comment regarding saving on candles. I don't know who actually thought living on bogus time was a good idea.

Franklin should have taken one of the candles he saved and burned that manuscript.

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[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

Actually, I've heard that the reason they died out is the rising cost of real estate. A move theater can pack about 100 people into a space the size of a bathroom, while a drive-in theater will have four or five people occupying several hundred square feet, and some of those people hid in the trunk and didn't pay for their tickets.

A business that charges a few bucks admission for that much space can only make a profit, if the land it sits on is practically free. I mean, I grew up with a local drive-in theater that was on cheap land down by the freeway - and what's sitting on that land right now is Google Headquarters! Well, maybe not directly on the same spot, but it's in the same small area.

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[–] sslssg (34222) 3 years ago

That might have been part of it, but I am in the northern most major city in north america, and it doesn't get dark here until almost 11 in june and july.

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[–] 102000 (6253) 3 years ago

We have a great one just north of Cincinnati in Hamilton. It's great - 1st run movies.

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[–] BillySlater (4241) 3 years ago

What do they charge?

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[–] 102000 (6253) 3 years ago

$9.75 for adults, $5.50 for children, and $5 if you want to bring a cooler in.

Sound comes through car radios, so the quality is excellent. The place is very nice, clean, and safe.

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[–] BillySlater (4241) 3 years ago

I´m jealous. lol.

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[–] Thaisticks (3036) 3 years ago

They were more for socializing and dating than watching a movie. Then VHS and cable came along, and you could have a movie date in your own private place.

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[–] R_Kane (15828) 3 years ago

True, but drive-ins were also a bastion of the Double Feature, with B-movies like The Gangbang Gang cumming second on the bill, helping to set the mood for poontanging.

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[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

When I was 15-16, old enough to have friends with their own cars, gangs of us would go see cheesy movies at the local drive-in, and they'd be showing X-rated films over on the next screen. We'd all forget about the movie we were watching, and gawp at the naked people over on the next screen.

It never led to anything at the time, we were all huge nerds.

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[–] SweetTooth43 (2047) 3 years ago

Sometimes I wish I grew up in the fun era of drive-in movies and cruising around in big classic cars.

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[–] DoctorThirteen (13995) 3 years ago

Don't think we had any in the UK. Certainly not many. Shame, I'd like to have gone.

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[–] BillySlater (4241) 3 years ago

The UK has them but they are rare. Might be a drive for you to find one.

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[–] Sandman3 (1453) 3 years ago

Loved them. Many great memories. Here is a neat site. Just click on your state. You may be surprised and one is closer to you than you think.

https://www.driveinmovie.com/united-states

http://s3.amazonaws.com/dailyorange/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Drive-In_ChaseGuttman_SP4.jpg

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[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

We had one in town up until the mid eighties. I was around twelve when it closed, but I remember it well. There's one within driving distance of me, but they tend to show a lot of family movies, so I don't go that often.

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[–] PersistentViewer (2381) 3 years ago

I used to love them. I wish they would be permanent again. Making a comeback of sorts last few years.

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