This day in history: The first drive-in movie theatre opens

With only 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person, the first drive-in movie theatre opened on June 6, 1933, on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken, New Jersey.

The outdoor movie idea started around 1907 as an activity at funfairs and carnival attractions. But it wasn’t until 1933 when Richard Hollingshead, inspired by his mother’s struggle to sit comfortably in movie theater seats, opened the first drive-in movie theatre.

Hollingshead started by creating a small drive-in for his mother. He nailed a screen to his backyard trees and placed a radio behind the screen for the sound.

Hollingshead started testing the best car parking distance and angle by arranging parked cars at different distances from one another and then placing them on angled blocks for good viewing.

In 1933, he received the patent for a drive-in theater, and in three weeks, he opened the first drive-in theater. Hollingshead advertised his drive-in theater with the slogan “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are.”

In 1948, there were around 1,000 drive-in theaters in the United States. Then the 1000 became 5000 by 1958, with about 300 in Canada. Some theaters could fit up to 2,500 cars, like the Drive-In of Copiague, New York, which also had a playground and a restaurant.

As television became more popular by the end of the 1950s, people began losing interest in drive-in theaters. Then, during the ‘70s oil crisis, many people stopped using their cars to save money, which also affected drive-ins.

Drive-ins began seeking ways to regain their popularity. Some shifted from a family-friendly atmosphere to showing horror and adult content. while others  began to include children’s and family activities like food trucks or pony rides.

Today, drive-ins may not be as popular as they once were, but some are still in business across the country.

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