Paramount Drive-In, Paramount, Los Angeles Countyįive SoCal Road Trip Pit Stops That Will Rival Your Destination So, here are the eight best drive-in theaters in SoCal - where you can snuggle up in your jammies and blanket and take in an outdoor flick under the night sky, without ever leaving your car. If you’ve got enough room to recline and stretch out, you can relive those nostalgic times - or make some brand-new memories of your own. It’s now transmitted through an FM radio, either through your car’s audio system or a boom box that you can bring with you.Īlthough the drive-in theaters of yore are currently extinct in Orange County, Ventura County and Imperial County - where none remain - there are still opportunities to experience the throwback of “ozoner” culture elsewhere at SoCal’s surviving “auto theaters.”Įven better, in Southern California we can visit the drive-in throughout the entire year - with very few adverse weather events sabotaging the “rain or shine” policies. the Ford Pinto).īesides, the screen projection back then was so dim that movies could only start when it was really dark out - a time that got pushed even later after the Uniform Time Act of 1966 nationalized Daylight Saving Time and “Spring Forward.”Īdd to that the rising popularity of cable TV, “home taping” and video rentals, and the drive-in industry seemed like it was doomed.īut now, digital projection upgrades have sharpened the picture and allowed showtimes to start earlier than ever - making drive-ins a real family affair, accommodating everyone from grandparents to grandkids to stay even for a double feature.Īnd the sound no longer comes through those “squawk boxes” that you used to have to hang on your car door (and plenty of folks would accidentally yank away as they absent-mindedly drove off). Of course, that was before the 1970s energy crisis necessitated fuel-efficient cars that were too small to get comfortable in for a couple of hours (e.g. In fact, there are still several permanent drive-in movie theaters still in operation throughout Southern California - though there are far fewer now than during their heyday of the 1950s and ’60s. And it hasn’t completely gone away in this country - especially not now, when “walk-in” theaters aren’t an option for us just yet. Electric Dusk Drive-In (2012-present), which is relocating from the LACCD Van de Kamp School Campus to Glendale later this year and Street Food Cinema (2012-present) throughout Los Angeles, with drive-in events this year at The Americana at Brand in Glendale.īut this slice of Americana is a truly American phenomenon, one that never really caught on in other countries. Over the last 15 years or so, the appeal of watching drive-in movies has resurged in Southern California - with “pop-up” events hosted by, among others, Devil’s Night Drive-In (2005-2012) in Downtown L.A. This isn’t exactly a new development in entertainment. It may not be exactly how we imagined it, but car culture is back to save us from isolation, boredom and fever.īecause while most indoor activities - including going to movie multiplexes - have been restricted or altogether suspended over the last few months during the coronavirus pandemic, outdoor movie screenings are providing a much-needed distraction.Īnd it’s all from the safety of our own cars.

Paramount drive in movie theatre hours