June 6, 2022 – Drive-Ins

On this day in 1933, the very first drive in movie theater opened in New Jersey! It was invented by Richard Hollingshead, who was working for his father’s automotive chemical company at the time. According to one story, the idea was inspired by his mother, a tall woman who found regular movie theater seats uncomfortable.
After some experimenting in his driveway with a movie projector and sheets nailed between 2 trees, he applied for a patent, which was granted in May 1933. His drive-in had 400 parking spots and a 40 by 50 foot screen. Hollingshead charged .25 per car and .25 per person, with no car paying more than $1. After his patent was overturned in 1949, drive in theaters popped up all across the country.
At their peak in the late 1950s and early 1960s, there were more than 4,000 drive-ins all over the U.S. They were especially popular with families and teenagers. They catered to their audiences with luxuries like bottle warmers and diaper vending machines, and many also added mini golf, swimming pools and other family-friendly attractions.
Attendance began declining in the late 60s, with changes to home entertainment like color TV and cable television, then VCRs and video rentals in the 80s. But during COVID, drive-ins had an unexpected surge in popularity. Indoor movie theaters couldn’t operation because of bans on mass gatherings, but those restrictions didn’t apply to drive-ins. Today, there are around 300 drive-in theaters still operating in the U.S. Learn more here.