Throwback Thursday: The drive-in cinema that revolutionised how families watched movies
Now considered obsolete, the first drive -in movie theatre was built on this day (June 6) in 1933.
A brainchild of Richard Hollingshead, the first drive-in named the Camden, was located on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Pennsauken, New Jersey.
Hollingshead, a movie fan and sales manager at his father’s company, was inspired by his mother’s struggle to sit comfortably in traditional movie theatre seats inspiring him to come up with the idea of an open-air theatre where patrons could watch movies in the comfort of their cars.
After developing a patent and an initial investment of 30 000 dollars, the first theatre opened charging 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person.
After World War II, drive-in theatres saw an increase in popularity that peaked in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when there were about 5,000 of them nationwide.
The drive-in cinema industry declined due to several issues. Drive-in attendance started to fall in the late 1960s due to advancements in home entertainment, such as colour television and cable TV, as well as VCRs and video rental in the early 1980s.
New entertainment technology such as the arrival of DVD and streaming systems made it so that families could enjoy movies in the comfort of their own homes.
The last old-school drive-in in South Africa closed its doors in 2012, having served as a landmark in Randburg, Gauteng, for over 60 years.
Source: History.com
https://tinyurl.com/56kh6wm9istory.com
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