History Main / DriveInTheater

Another common tactic was for drive-ins to add multiple screens. Some rented their land during the day to other businesses, such as flea markets--or managed such businesses themselves. Especially in urban areas, the vast expanses of land necessary for a drive-in became too expensive to maintain, and the land was sold for redevelopment because it just wasn't financially feasible to keep it open. Therefore, many drive-ins were forced to close between TheSeventies and the TurnOfTheMillennium. In many cases, the land was even turned over to build a shiny new multiplex theater. It seemed that the drive-in was headed for extinction—or was it?

'''The Resurgence:''' Beginning in TheNineties, and continuing thru the TurnOfTheMillennium and still going strong in TheNewTens, drive-ins have enjoyed a {{revival}}; a few new theaters have even opened in the last few years. Some of this is due to Baby Boomer nostalgia, although many current drive-in visitors are too young to remember the medium's heyday. Also, a "guerrilla drive-in" movement has developed to show films in parks, parking lots and other open urban spaces. Although it's unlikely that drive-ins will ever again be as numerous as they were during TheFifties, it seems that they're here to stay--at least for the foreseeable future.

* ''Fanfic/TheMidnightverse'' story ''Last Date'' has [[WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers Dale and Foxglove]] seeing ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean 3'' at a drive-in--years before [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd that film]] was actually released.

* One of the last episodes of ''Series/{{Cheers}}'', "[[Recap/CheersS11E18 The Last Picture Show]]", has Woody, Norm, Cliff, and Frasier going to a local drive-in on its last night of operations. They conclude that drive-ins are overrated--tinny speakers, people blocking your view--and that they're really nostalgic for their youth. They go home early.

** In yet another, Homer recalls having fun at the local drive-in as a lad. Flashback to the car shaking and squeaking rhythmically. Cut to interior to see...Homer surrounded by his favorite treats, reaching back and forth to grab food and shove it in his mouth--that's what causes the shaking.

At the beginning of TheNewTwenties, drive-ins saw a return to popularity for an unexpected reason: as the COVID-19 pandemic made its way around the world, people realized that drive-ins were a good way to see movies in public while still maintaining social distancing. As Rick Cohen, owner of the Transit Drive-In Theatre in Lockport, [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState New York]], told ''[[https://variety.com/2020/film/features/drive-in-movie-theaters-coronavirus-safety-measures-1234612749/ Variety]]'': “Drive-ins aren’t having a resurgence. Drive-ins have been doing well. It’s a resurgence of the media remembering that drive-ins still exist.”

At the beginning of TheNewTwenties, drive-ins saw a return to popularity for an unexpected reason: as the COVID-19 pandemic made its way across the world, people realized that drive-ins were a good way to see movies while still maintaining social distancing. As Rick Cohen, owner of the Transit Drive-In Theatre in Lockport, [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState New York]], told ''[[https://variety.com/2020/film/features/drive-in-movie-theaters-coronavirus-safety-measures-1234612749/ Variety]]'': “Drive-ins aren’t having a resurgence. Drive-ins have been doing well. It’s a resurgence of the media remembering that drive-ins still exist.”

* ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'' ends with Scott, Hope, and Cassie apparently at a drive-in, until a wide shot reveals they're shrunk down and sitting in one of Hank's Micro Machines watching ''Film/{{Them}}'' on Scott's phone.

* ''Film/TheSugarlandExpress'': The fugitive couple watch a ''Road Runner'' cartoon on the drive-in screen across from their motel room.
* Creator/StanleyKubrick's ''Literature/{{Lolita}}'' has Humbert sitting between Lolita and Mrs. Haze at a drive-in showing the Hammer Film ''Film/TheCurseOfFrankenstein''. At a shocking moment hands grab other hands, with awkward consequences.

At the beginning of TheNewTwenties, drive-ins saw a return to popularity for an unexpected reason; as the COVID-19 pandemic made its way across the world, people realized that drive-ins were a good way to see movies while still maintaining social distancing. As Rick Cohen, owner of the Transit Drive-In Theatre in Lockport, [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState New York]], told ''[[https://variety.com/2020/film/features/drive-in-movie-theaters-coronavirus-safety-measures-1234612749/ Variety]]'': “Drive-ins aren’t having a resurgence. Drive-ins have been doing well. It’s a resurgence of the media remembering that drive-ins still exist.”

At the beginning of TheNewTwenties, drive-ins saw a return to popularity for an unexpected reason; as the COVID-19 pandemic made its way across the world, people realized that drive-ins were a good way to see movies while still maintaining social distancing. As Rick Cohen, owner of the Tansit Drive-In Theatre in Lockport, [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState New York]], told ''[[https://variety.com/2020/film/features/drive-in-movie-theaters-coronavirus-safety-measures-1234612749/ Variety]]'': “Drive-ins aren’t having a resurgence. Drive-ins have been doing well. It’s a resurgence of the media remembering that drive-ins still exist.”

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' has Roger gaining some old 80's movies and a pack of cars mistakenly sent to the Smith house. Steve, in another attempt to get a girl, has Roger play the movies on the side of the neighboring house while Steve, his friends, and the current girl of his attention and her friends watch from the cars as a makeshift drive in.
* Was the focus of an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheReplacements'' when Riley starts working there but finds the manager too strict and has him replaced with a film director [[spoiler:who promptly gets the place closed down due to horrible management.]]

* At the beginning of the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' episode, "Popcorn Pandemonium", Rocko and Heffer treat Mr. Bighead's big-screen TV like a drive-in, as there isn't a drive-in theater in O-Town. After Heffer and Mr. Bighead inadvertently destroy the TV with a channel-changing war (the former wants to watch a sci-fi movie, while the latter is trying to watch a football game), Rocko and Heffer go to the Googa Plex cinema, getting the main plot underway. At the end of the episode, a disaster with Filburt's glasses and the [[OutOfControlPopcorn popcorn storage room]] results in the theater being destroyed, making its remains look like a drive-in.

* One of the scenes in ''Film/AirBuddies'' has the puppies go to a drive-in theatre and interrupt the showing of ''Disney/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians''. A biker gang is there watching the movie, and when the puppies pass by them... they ''literally'' PetTheDog.

* On an episode of ''Series/{{Cheers}}'', Cliff, Norm, Frasier and Woody go to a ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' marathon at a drive-in.

* George Carlin, as DJ Weird Willy West does a plug for the Make-out Drive-In Theater ("No lines, no waiting, there's no movie either, kids!") and the feature running there, "Sex Bed Teen Bikini Virgin Surf Beach Ball Bash."

* George Carlin, as DJ Weird Willy West does a plug for the Make-out Drive-In Theater ("No lines, no waiting, there's no movie either, kids!") And the feature running there, "Sex Bed Bikini Virgin Surf Beach Ball Bash."

* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' had two episodes where Greg took his date to a drive-in with hilarious results. In one, he was forced to take Bobby along with him after losing a bet. In the other, Bobby and Peter accidentally left their pet frogs in the car.

* The VHS releases for ''Series/ShiningTimeStation'' had an additional FramingDevice[[note]]The series itself was a FramingDevice designed to introduce ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' to American audiences[[/note]]. The episodes were being played at the Shining Time Drive-in, and before the main feature began, there'd be, amongst other things, a KitschyLocalCommercial for Schemer's Arcade. After the episodes, there'd be a short film from "Scehemer Presents", a series of instructional videos made and presented by Schemer, which the voiceover notes, "We had nothing to do with it".

* A character is forced to watch the deaths of his friends in a decayed drive-in in ''[[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger's Seven Sweetest Dreams]]'' story "Asleep at the Wheel".

* In ''Film/OneUponATimeInHollywood'', Cliff Booth lives in a trailer behind the Van Nuys Drive-In Theater.

* According to WordOfGod, going to drive-in theaters is how [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] manages to make tons of pop culture references despite being a WalkingTechbane.

* In the "Julie" segment of the MadeForTV AnthologyFilm ''Film/TrilogyOfTerror'', a student who has [[HotForTeacher an unhealthy obsession with his teacher]] takes her on a date to a drive-in, knocks her out with [[SlippingAMickey a spiked drink]], then takes [[{{Blackmail}} compromising photos]] of her while she's unconscious.

* PostPunk band Music/AtTheDriveIn, who take their name from a Music/{{Poison}} lyric.

* The video for Jon Music/BonJovi's "Blaze of Glory" from the ''Film/YoungGunsII'' soundtrack has him performing the song at a decrepit drive-in atop a cliff in the American southwest. Scenes from the movie play on the screen (until the screen catches fire, reflecting a [[IncrediblyLamePun blaze]] in the film scenes being shown).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'': The characters are watching parodies of other Creator/{{Pixar}} films at the end of the movie; since they're all vehicles of some sort, [[CaptainObvious of course it's a drive-in theatre]].