Drive in movie albuquerque2/28/2024 ![]() In fact, thanks to screenings at drive-in across the country, Jurassic Park was number one in the box office last weekend, Jaws was number two, and ET the Extra Terrestrial was just a bit further down the list, ranking seventh. Attendance levels at these drive-ins, which include Mission Tiki Drive-In Theatre in Montclair, California South Bay Drive-In Theatre in San Diego Van Buren Drive-In Theatre and Rubidoux Drive-In Theatre both in Riverside, California, was comparable to those of three previous years even though there have been no new “tentpole” releases from the major movie studios in 2020. “Since then, we have reopened gradually, with limited capacity, as proscribed within COVID-19 restrictions, and remain very popular,” says Huttinger. “And we were turning away customers,” he adds. Now, adding to the mix of classic drive-ins surviving the test of time are pop-up drive-in theaters, operating in open spaces from farms to diner parking lots.ĭeanza Land & Leisure Corporation operates six drive-in theaters, including the Mission Tiki Drive-In Theatre in Montclair, California.įrank Huttinger, chairman and CEO of the Deanza Land & Leisure Corporation, which operates six drive-in theaters across the country, notes that in March and April, before his company had to close most of their theaters, they were operating at full capacity. But some stalwarts survived the turn of the century, and are still screening films today.Īccording to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, as of October 2019, there were 305 theater locations in the United States and 549 total screens. ![]() Many theaters, Kilgore explains, folded as a result of their aging owners-managers cashing out and their land being sold for development. Their popularity peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, but by the 1970s, interest in drive-ins waned as cable TV, VCRs and video store rentals were on the rise. Following World War II, the growth in car ownership and suburban living added to the appeal of drive-in theaters as a family-friendly outing. While the concept of showing movies outdoors goes back to silent films, the first patented drive-in movie theater was opened on June 6, 1933, in Camden, New Jersey. Again, theaters have been among the closed public buildings, leaving movie-goers wondering, where is the nearest drive-in? Now 20 years into the next century, COVID-19 has brought about similar public health precautions. “In the 1950s, when theaters closed, drive-ins were still available and people were trying to avoid congregating in much of the same way,” says Michael Kilgore, creator of Carload, a website on American drive-in movie theaters. Yet one source of entertainment remained open during summer months-the drive-in movie theater. Additional precautions involved shutting down public venues such as pools and movie theaters. Travel and commerce ceased between strongly impacted cities, and fearful parents kept their children indoors to prevent the spread of this paralyzing disease. Prior to Jonas Salk’s 1955 vaccine, outbreaks led to public health officials imposing quarantine restrictions across the country. Over 70 years ago, the polio pandemic changed day-to-day life in America.
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