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Originally Posted by Penton-Man
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The drive-in owners featured in the story bought their drive-in in 2009. It was very obvious in 2009 that film was going away -- if they didn't know that, they were living in denial.
Drive-ins were going away long before the advent of digital. Real-estate is simply too expensive and the asset is only used a few hours a day for part of the year. That's why many of the remaining drive-ins hold flea markets during the day. By 1990, there were fewer than 1000 drive-ins left in the U.S. In 2001, there were 442. By 2006, there were about 415. According to Wiki, the 2013 count is 357. In places where the land isn't worth anything and taxes are low, a drive-in might survive (digital conversion aside). But if anyone wants to develop the property for housing, shopping mall or office space, an operator is definitely going to sell out. They can make in a contract signing what they couldn't earn in 30 years.
When movie theaters were the only place to see movies and people loved being in their cars (or needed a place to "make-out"), drive-in theaters made sense. But they've been in decline ever since the advent of home video and few are thrilled to be sitting in their cars.
What I think drive-in theaters should do is to have their association buy up every 35mm film print they can find, then circulate them on a schedule to all the remaining theaters. They can probably pick up 35mm projectors (for parts and service) for next to nothing as regular theatres remove film projectors from their booths. Drive-ins can become revival theaters for those who still want that classic experience.