Definition

An outdoor movie theater where patrons watch films from their parked cars, typically equipped with individual speakers or a radio frequency broadcast. Popular from the 1950s through the 1980s, drive-ins represented a uniquely American entertainment experience that combined movies with automobile culture.

Example Usage

We packed a picnic and headed to the drive-in to catch the late showing.

Origin

Coined in the United States in the 1930s as cinema became more car-centric; the first drive-in theater opened in New Jersey in 1933.

Fun Fact

Peak drive-in attendance in the U.S. was in 1958, with around 4,000 operating theaters; fewer than 400 remain today.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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