📷 Photo by Victor Crespo on UnsplashDrive-in theaters: where America still watches from the car
From Camden in 1933 to about 4,000 theaters in 1958 and a few hundred today: how a night at a drive-in works and where to find one.
By CampingSpirit Editors · August 14, 2026 · 4 min read
In June 1933 Richard Hollingshead opened an outdoor cinema in Camden, New Jersey, where the audience stayed in their cars. Hollingshead had patented a ramp system a month earlier so that vehicles parked at different angles could all see the screen. The first film was Wives Beware, and admission was reportedly 25 cents per car and per person.
The format suited the country it was born in. Families with small children, people who smoked, and anyone who simply preferred their own seat to a theater row could watch a film without dressing up or finding a sitter. Today roughly 300 to 400 drive-ins are still in operation in the United States, most of them small, privately owned businesses, and they make a natural stop on a camper route across the plains.
Growth and the 1958 peak
Growth was slow at first and then fast. The decisive technical step came in 1941, when RCA introduced in-car speakers with individual volume control; before that, sound came from horns mounted on the screen and reached the back rows with a noticeable delay. After the Second World War, cheap land at the edge of towns, rising car ownership and the baby boom pushed the number up. The high point was 1958, with 4,063 drive-ins nationwide.
The scale of some sites was remarkable. Loew’s Open Air in Lynn, Massachusetts, is reported to have held around 5,000 cars, more than most stadiums hold spectators. Many theaters added playgrounds, small train rides and cafeterias, and some opened for matinees and weekend flea markets to use the land during the day. The drive-in was less a cinema than a small leisure park that happened to show films after sunset.
Why most of them closed
Most closures had mundane causes. Land at the edge of town became more valuable than a screen, and many family-run theaters were not continued by the next generation. The switch from 35 mm film to digital projection was another cut: conversion has been quoted at $70,000 or more per screen, a sum that ended many small operations. The 2020 lockdowns briefly reversed the trend, because drive-ins could stay open when indoor cinemas could not, and some new ones opened, some with LED screens instead of projectors.
How a night works
Gates usually open well before dusk, often an hour or more ahead of the first show, and cars are directed into rows facing the screen. The sound is no longer on window speakers: the theater broadcasts it on a low-power FM frequency posted at the entrance or on the screen, and each car tunes in on its own radio. Shankweiler’s in Pennsylvania, for example, moved to FM stereo in 1986. Many theaters show a double feature, and the concession stand, with popcorn, hot dogs and soft drinks, is a large part of their income.
Two habits matter. First, switch off headlights and running lights, because light pointed at the screen washes out the picture for everyone. Second, listen in accessory mode rather than with the engine running, which avoids exhaust and noise but can drain the starter battery over a double feature. A portable FM radio solves that, and so does a camper with a separate house battery and a radio that runs from it.
Timing differs by season and latitude. In June in the northern states the sky stays light until after 9 p.m., so the first feature may start late and a double bill can end well after midnight. Early arrival is therefore part of the experience: the hour before the film is used for lawn chairs, games and the concession stand.
Theaters worth a detour
Shankweiler’s Drive-In in Orefield, Pennsylvania, opened on 15 April 1934 and is recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest drive-in still operating; it takes about 300 cars on four acres (1.6 ha). The Rt 66 Skyview in Litchfield, Illinois, dates from 1950 and is described as the last original Route 66 drive-in still showing films. Hull’s Drive-In in Lexington, Virginia, is community-owned and volunteer-run, and the Tee Pee Drive-In in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, rents restored vintage trailers for overnight stays.
The Coyote Drive-In in Fort Worth, Texas, opened in 2013 and shows how the format has been rebuilt: four screens, laser projection and a playground behind the concession area. Older and newer sites differ in character, and a visit to one of each makes a good comparison.
Planning a visit
Campers need one extra check. Rows are usually laid out for cars, and a tall motorhome can block the view of those behind it, so theaters often direct larger vehicles to the back or the side. Ask at the gate, or on the theater’s page beforehand, where RVs may park. Leave the generator off, since the noise carries across a quiet field, and keep interior lights low with blinds closed once the film starts.
Many drive-ins run seasonally, often roughly April to October in the north, so check the theater’s own page for dates and showtimes. Prices and double-feature schedules change, which is another reason to look before driving out. Buy tickets in advance when the theater offers it, arrive early for a good row, and park nose-in or backed in depending on how the theater lays out its rows. Bring blankets, insect repellent and a spare battery pack, and buy something at the snack bar.
