The DIY Beginnings of America's Drive-In Movie Theaters

On June 6, 1933, a crowd of curious drivers pulled into a fenced lot in Camden, New Jersey, for a new kind of entertainment experience. Seated in their cars, they watched the comedy Wives Beware projected onto a giant outdoor screen. This was the debut of the drive-in movie theater, the brainchild of local businessman Richard Hollingshead Jr., who had tested the concept in his own driveway. What began as an experiment to make moviegoing more comfortable would soon become a defining feature of mid-century American life.

Inspired by his tall mother’s difficulty fitting into cramped theater seats, Hollingshead set up a Kodak projector on his car, used a bedsheet for a screen and tested how sound and sightlines worked from different vehicle heights. He settled on a series of terraced ramps, ensuring every car had a clear view of the screen, and received a patent in May 1933. The Camden “Automobile Movie Theater” opened weeks later, welcoming moviegoers from 43 states. The tagline said it all: “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are apt to be.”

While the Camden drive-in lasted only a few years, it sparked a phenomenon. Among those inspired was Wilson Shankweiler, a chicken restaurant owner in Pennsylvania who saw Hollingshead’s theater and decided to build his own. Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theater, which opened in 1934, still operates today.

“Initially, it was really nothing more than a sheet strung between two poles, a little bull horn set up under the screen, and a tabletop projector,” says Matt McClanahan, owner/operator of Shankweiler’s. “It was very DIY. A lot of it was just what people had laying around, and many drive-ins in this area had a similar kind of upbringing.”

Drive-ins grew slowly at first. High equipment costs and weather issues kept expansion modest. But after World War II, with the rise of car culture and the baby boom, the format exploded. Suburban development funded by the G.I. Bill helped families settle in car-dependent communities, and drive-ins became a natural fit. By 1958, there were nearly 5,000 drive-ins across the country.

Upon entering, drivers purchased tickets at a booth and found a comfortable spot facing a giant screen (sometimes 120 feet wide), typically constructed of wood or metal and coated with reflective paint to maximize brightness. Rows were slightly elevated to ensure unobstructed views, accommodating hundreds (sometimes thousands) of vehicles at a time.

Once parked, patrons would attach small speakers to their car windows, piping audio directly into the vehicle. Although these speakers often crackled and provided uneven sound, they became an endearing part of the drive-in charm. Concessions provided another financial avenue, offering burgers, candy and popcorn at a time when fast food and pizza delivery barely existed.

“Drive-ins predated McDonald’s,” said historian and filmmaker April Wright, who directed the documentaries Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the American Drive-in Movie and Back to the Drive-in. “They were part of a broader car culture. You didn’t have to dress up or sit indoors. You could eat in your car, watch a movie and relax.”

The drive-in was more than a theater—it was a community gathering spot. Children ran through the aisles of parked cars, families brought lawn chairs and picnics, and teenagers seized the opportunity for freedom from watchful parents. Many drive-ins expanded into full entertainment hubs, adding playgrounds, miniature golf and amusement rides to the mix.

Drive-ins adapted slowly over the decades. In the 1950s, they introduced double features. In the 1970s and 1980s, most added second or third screens to compete with multiplexes. Today, many still offer two movies for the price of one. While some drive-ins can hold thousands of cars, the average capacity has hovered between 800 to 1,000.

Programming at drive-ins often catered to broad audiences. Family-friendly movies were popular, but so were horror flicks and sci-fi adventures that appealed to younger crowds seeking thrills and chills under the cover of darkness. Midnight screenings of cult classics and B-movies drew devoted audiences, eager for communal scares or laughs.

Today, technological upgrades, like FM radio sound and digital projection, have modernized the experience. “During COVID, a lot of drive-ins switched to laser projectors before indoor chains even considered it,” Wright notes. “And the sound over the car radio is actually fantastic.”

The drive-in boom couldn't last forever. By the late 1960s and into the 1970s, rising land values, competition from indoor multiplexes, cable television and later, home video, chipped away at their popularity. The oil crisis of the 1970s further discouraged driving for leisure. As suburban real estate became increasingly valuable, many drive-ins sold out to developers, making room for shopping malls and housing developments.

Though drive-in numbers have declined, they never fully disappeared. The United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association estimates there are just under 300 drive-ins remaining in the United States. In 2020, COVID-19 gave them a brief resurgence, as people sought safe, distanced entertainment. Pop-up drive-ins appeared in parking lots and fields, introducing new generations to a nostalgic form of moviegoing—in their cars and under the stars.