The Visor

Drive-ins Decline Across the US

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October 16, 2011

By Allie Griffith

In the 50s and 60s, a drive-in the- ater was a popular venue to watch a movie on the big screen, grab a burger or enjoy a date night. With over 4,000 drive-in theaters dotting the na- tion,   these   enter tainment   enterprises became an American classic.
In recent years, however, drive- ins across the nation have become a declining business with more closings each year, especially in Ohio.
Ohio once hosted one of the first 10 drive-in theaters in America, The Starlight Auto Theatre in Akron, which opened June of 1937. Within ten years, Ohio had more than 80 drive-ins and by the late 60s there were over 200 drive-in theaters in operation.
Sadly, in the years since Ohio has witnessed a decline of 80% in the num- ber of drive-ins, according to drivein- movie.com.
What were once popular and bud- ding   sites   for   American   enter tainment, drive-ins are now rare finds which can often   be   found   sitting   deser ted   and forgotten on the side of the road. Own- ers and operators of these “open-air theaters” face a difficult set of obsta- cles in trying to gain a profit.
Drive-ins require a large amount of land in order to run properly which is often hard to find. Ideally, the land
must drain well and be sloped so peo- ple do not block each other’s view. It also must be located close enough to a metropolitan area for customers, but not so close that city lights and traffic interrupt the show.
In Ohio, where the winters are brutal, the drive-in must be able to shut down completely for half the year.
In   an   ef for t   to   stay   afloat,   some drive-ins hosted flea markets and even showed   XXX   rated   movies   to   sur vive in the late 70s early 80s.
However, not all drive-ins are sinking. Locally, Magic City Drive-In in   Barber ton,   Blue   Sky   Drive-In   in Wadsworth and Midway Twin Drive- In in Ravenna stand as the few re- maining drive-ins in the area. These drive-ins continue to attract custom- ers   and   show   special“Features”   ever y weekend. Midway Twin Drive-In is currently showing the popular mov- ies Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Bad Teacher and 30 Minutes or Less.
Many Hoban students, like junior Megan Bennett, still enjoy going to these theaters despite the declining business.
“I love going to drive-ins because they are much more fun than regular movie theaters,” Bennett said. “I hope the ones still standing remain in busi- ness and I encourage people to go!”