Indeed. Though the number of drive-in theaters had decreased dramatically there are some that continue to stand fast in providing a unique avenue of entertaining and escape from the four walls.
I miss the old fashion drive-in, was it the movie you wanted to see or the snacks that you could have so much fun eating while looking at the movie.
Someone is building a drive-in theater in Bangor, Maine. Actually, I think they may have opened it by now. All of the older ones in Maine had closed, I think, although one Maine town (I forget which) has a walk-in outdoor theater. So, while most of the drive-in theaters have closed, there are some new ones being opened every now and then.
I think the last time I went to a drive-in was while I was still at school. There's not much chance of my ever going again now as the last drive-in theatre in South Africa closed down in early 2014.
Oh I really miss them! I remember the lawn chairs, and the cokes and candy bars. They were so much cheaper too! I wonder why we ever thought it was okay to pay a half day's salary to see a movie in a theater, and the other half for a box of popcorn!
The old theaters are going the way of the drive in, in many small towns. I imagine a new drive-in will have three screens in the center, allowing multiple offerings. Speakers will be on FM frequency on radio. Do all cars still come with a radio? If not, wireless options will be available. Food is an Unknown. The movies....about the same.
Oh the drive in movie theater. I remember the one that use to be around a mile or so from my home, it was called The Silver Dollar. But of course it closed down about ten years ago. Its nice to know that in some areas the drive in theater is still around, and that its being resurrected in others. This is a form of entertainment that was so popular in the fifties, sixties and even seventies it was sad to see it get phased out as time went on.
So what do you think really phased out the drive-in theaters, television, cable/satellite, indoor movie theaters? Who do you think continued to battle the competition, a family business maybe?
I'm sure that there were a lot of factors involved but in the case of the closing of the last drive-in theatre in South Africa, the decision was apparently made because of technical restraints. Apparently they couldn't cope with the move from film to a digital system.
Switching to digital by the distributors, put a lot of them out of business. "Digital projectors typically cost between $60,000 and $150,000 each." http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119431/how-digital-cinema-took-over-35mm-film
Oh, I never thought about that. That is enough to make a business close up shop too. Thinking about the expense of the equipment and then training or hiring someone who is knowledgeable in operating it.
My home town had three drive-ins and they all closed years before digital came along. I think daylight saving time had a lot to do with it. By the time it was dark enough to show the movie people were already doing other things or going to indoor theaters.
Most of the drive-in theatres in South Africa closed long before digital came along too, and we don't have daylight saving here. I'm guessing that the decline in their popularity would have coincided with South Africa getting television for the first time, which only happened sometime in the 1970s. I'm pretty sure that's about when my family stopped going to the drive-in.