During their peak in the late 1950's and early 1960's, there were more than 4000 Drive-in Theaters in the United States (where they were invented), as well as another several hundred in Canada and Australia. But the iconic drive-in theaters began to close in large numbers starting in the 1970's and now over 90% of them have gone dark for good. But the drive-in movie theater is not dead and fortunately there are currently about 335 drive-ins still open in the United States. There are another 40 drive-ins still open in Canada and about 13 drive-in theaters open in Australia. You can find the drive-in theater nearest you below with our drive-in search tools. You can search for drive-in theaters by country, by state (or province for Canada and Australia) or by entering a city and state.
Drive-ins remain popular with many because they provide a romantic and nostalgic alternative for watching movies under the stars. Drive-in theaters have the largest movie screens and have snack bar menus that rival restaurants (in contrast to over-priced lobby candy and soda offerings at indoor theaters). And drive-in theaters are a bargain as they usually show two first run movies for the price of one at an indoor theater.
Fortunately, the rate of Drive-in Theater closures has lessen significantly and there has been a slight renaissance of sorts. There have been 15-20 drive-ins opened in the last few years. Some of these were drive-ins that were re-opened after sitting closed for many years. But there have also been a handful of newly built drive-in theaters that have opened.
Drive-in theaters offer an experience and an opportunity for us that is more than merely seeing a movie on the BIG screen outdoors. It's about seeing the larger picture - choosing the drive-in as your opportunity to support a fragile mom & pop industry and, to celebrate and to help preserve the presence of the past. Drive-ins also allow families to play and interact before, between and after the movies unlike any experience that is possible at indoor theaters.
Drive-in theaters are worth preserving for so many reasons. So search through the states below to find the drive-in theaters in your state and surrounding states which you can visit.
