In 1942 there were 95 Drive-in Theatres.
By January of 1942 Drive-in theatres had began to spread across the U.S. There we 95 Drive-ins spread across 27 states. Ohio led the way with 11 Drive-ins
The War Years 42 through 45
The building of new Drive-ins slows during the U.S. involvement of World War
II. Only six drive-ins are built. Many problems face the Drive-ins during this
time. Rubber for tires is in short supply since it is needed for the war effort.
Gas rationing was in effect during part of this time frame. Many theatres close
down for as much as 2 years.
Post War years 46 though 49
In 1946 the number of theatres goes from 102 to 155. By 1948 there are 820 drive-in theatres across the U.S.
With the concept of the Drive-in Theatre being strange to most people, new drive-ins would host an "Open House" during the day to let people know what to expect. They would show the future customers how to park, how the sound systems worked, and what food was available in the concession stands. Some Drive-ins reported as many as 400 cars would show up for the open house.
The Baby Boom
As soon as the war ended the Baby Boom began. By the end of the 40's the drive-in theatres were full of children looking for something to do. Most theatres found a new use for that area between the front row and the screen, but adding a Playground. This had a major return for most theatres. People began to arrive early so their children could plan on the playground. Then after a workout on the playground a trip to the concession stand was in order.
Drive-in Theatres Hit the high Numbers!!
The drive-in boom was under way. Going from less
than 1,000 in 1948 to close to 5,000 by 1958. The drive-in etched it's place
in history, not just in the U.S.A. 
but
in many countries across the world. During the same years of 1948 to 1958 over
5,000 indoor theatres closed reducing their number from 17,000 to 12,000. Not
just the number of drive-ins increased, but the size. They said you can't build
one that big!
One of the largest Drive-in Theatres was the All-weather Drive-in , Copiague, New York. parking spaces for 2,500 cars. It also had an indoor 1,200 seat viewing area, that was heated and air-conditioned, a playground, a cafeteria, a restaurant with full dinners. A shuttle train that took customers from their cars to the various areas, on the 28 acres.
List of theatres by size.
1. Troy Drive-in: Detroit, Michigan. 3,000 cars
2. Panther Drive-in: Lufkin, Texas. 3,000 cars
3. All-Weather Drive-in: Copiague, New York 2,500 cars
4. 110 Drive-in Melville, New York. 2,500 cars
5. Newark Drive-in: Newark, New Jersey 2,400 cars
6. Belair Drive-in, Cicero, Illinois. 2,300 cars
7. Timonium Drive-in: Timonium, Maryland 2,479 cars
8. Los Altos Drive-in: Long Beach, California 2,150 cars
What was the smallest?
1. Harmony Drive-in: Harmony Pennsylvania. 50 cars
2. Highway Drive-in: Bamberg, South Carolina. 50 cars
3. Ponce DeLeon Drive-in: Ponce DeLeon, Florida. 60 cars
4. Twilite Drive-in: Nakina, North Carolina. 60 cars
5. Norwood: Norwood, Colorado. 64 cars
More to do at the Drive-in
As the size and number of drive-ins increase, many
go from just a playground to:
Miniature Trains
Pony Rides
Boat Rides
Talent Shows
Miniature Golf
Animal Shows
Many theatres would open the gates as much as 3 hours before the movie would start. This allowed customers to bring the kids early. Many theatres began to serve a wide variety of dinners such as Fried Chicken, Barbecued Sandwiches, Hamburgers, Pizza, etc. A few theatre owners even gave the customers the ability to order from their car and have a car hop deliver. To increase sales the intermission trailers were invented. Theatres using these gained increased sales between films.
Stagnation
Well that about describes the 60's and 70's. There are still drive-ins being built, but many are closing. The hay day is gone, many theatres even pull out their playground equipment in the 70's since few families are attending. Many of the movies target a teen or adult audience. Examples the beach movies of the 60's and the movies in the 70's like "The Van" "Texas Cheerleaders", etc.
Drive-ins almost give up the ghost!!!!
The 80's started out fair and got very bad before they end. Low attendance almost kills the drive-in. Many owners say it hits over night. "Last year 500 cars on a Friday this year 50 cars." What's happening? Many things hit to pull people away from the drive-in. Some of the biggest are Cable TV and VCR's. Hollywood is right to our home, so why go anywhere?
Even to this day there are close to 1,000 dead drive-ins growing weeds across the US. Many like this drive-in that closed in the late 80's, notice there are trees 20' tall growing in the lot.
Drive-ins are Reborn!!!
Something happens in the 90's, the number of theatres closing slows down. Many drive-in add extra screens, many go Twin, some go Tripple, a few go Quad, one in Florida goes 13 screens!!!!! The crowds and the families return. I have been told by many owners that they have to close the gates some nights, because they run out of space to park cars. Also if you look at the crowd you see mostly families with young children, just like the crowd of the 50's, it seems that a new generation has discovered the drive-in.
Some drive-ins reopen in the late 90's. Over the
past 4 years I know of 15 DI's that have reopened. Not just reopenings, but
there has been 4 new drive-ins built in the past 5 years. We are still loosing
some drive-ins, but the numbers are stable. Drive-in begin to spring up overseas,
one was opened in Russia in 1999, a few have opened in other
countries, along with some reopenings like in Spain.
1: A great way to spend quality time with the entire family.
2: You do not have to pay for a babysitter.
3: You can smoke.
4: You can talk in the car.
5: You do not have to walk in front of other people to get out of your seat.
6: You can bring your pets.
7: You can enjoy a beautiful star filled sky.
8: You can get lots of fresh air.
9: A night out at the drive-in is not just a 90 minute movie.
10: Lots of great food and great entertainment on the screen and under the screen.
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