Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre
Skowhegan Drive-In Continues to Light Up Summer Nights | April 2018
By Maria Landry
The year the Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre opened, Sports Illustrated published its first issue, Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio, and Elvis began his music career. It was 1954, and Skowhegan’s drive-in was one of many such theaters springing up across the country, bringing the magic of Hollywood to the suburbs and rural America.
Now, owner Don Brown notes, the drive-in is “an enduring symbol of the era.”
Only the fourth owner over the theater’s 60-plus-year history, Brown plans to open for the season on May 18 despite the challenges posed by increasing operational costs and decreasing attendance.
Much has changed since the drive-in’s heyday. Back then, a theater—whether indoors or out—was the only way to see a movie, and drive-ins were a fun option for everyone from families to teenagers on first dates.
Today the drive-in faces steep competition.
“Movies are no longer the exclusive domain of theaters,” Brown said recently. With streaming digital options like Netflix and Hulu, would-be movie goers have more ways to watch than ever before.
“Movie attendance nationwide has been declining since the mid-2000s,” Brown said. He noted that Hollywood’s move from 35mm film to digital in the past decade or so forced theaters to undertake costly conversions to their equipment, leading to higher ticket prices.
But, as Brown reflected, tickets at the drive-in remain a pretty good deal, “especially for a double feature.” Admission prices for 2018 reflect a slight increase due to the recent increase in municipal taxes. Prices are $9 for adults and $5 for children, equating to just $4.50 per movie for adults and $2.50 for kids.
“The atmosphere of a drive-in theater is priceless on a warm summer night under a blanket of shimmering starlight,” Brown said.
In fact, there are those who go out of their way for the nostalgia of watching a movie on a larger-than-life outdoor screen framed by the night sky. Brown said that “drive-in tourists” come from other states and Canada specifically to visit Maine’s drive-ins.
“A significant percentage of the Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre’s patronage arrives with the summer’s seasonal visitors, primarily from mid-June through late July,” Brown said. “The weather during that time frame is crucial to the season’s overall success. … It is always a pleasure hosting those from outside the region who have often lost their drive-in experience back home.”
Part of that experience is concession-stand fare. The Skowhegan Drive-In’s menu includes popcorn, nachos, French fries, burgers, hot dogs, candy, ice cream, soda, and bottled water. Since concession revenue has become more critical to the drive-in’s financial health, Brown implemented a policy last year of no outside food or beverages, as is common in most other venues.
The drive-in has spaces for 340 to 350 cars, set in semicircles with standing pipes that once held audio speakers crackling with the sounds of the movies. Theater patrons today tune in via 88.3 FM on their car radios.
Despite changes in everything from the number of movie-watching options to the way sound is delivered at the drive-in, Brown is sure of one constant: “One element of the drive-in theater which has never changed is its unique atmosphere,” he said.
“For families, young adults, and increasingly seniors, the drive-in offers more than just a movie. The drive-in experience is a colorful cultural event.”
