Belmont Drive-In

314 McAdenville Road,
Belmont, NC 28012

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Related Websites

Belmont Drive-In (Official)

Additional Info

Previously operated by: Consolidated Theatres

Functions: Movies (First Run)

Previous Names: Drive-In

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 704.825.6044

Nearby Theaters

Belmont Drive-In

The Drive-In was opened by 1948 when it had a capacity for 150-cars and was operated by G.L. Faw. It was listed as a (Portable) drive-in. By 1949 the 150-car capacity Drive-In was operated by Drive-In Theatres Inc. By 1950 it had been renamed Belmont Drive-In when it was operated by R. Boling and National Theatre Supply of Charlotte and still had a capacity for 150-cars. By 1953 it was operated by Consolidated Theatres Inc. It had a capacity for 340 cars on a four acre field. It was closed in 2014. It reopened in June 2023.

Contributed by Lost Memory

Recent comments (view all 35 comments)

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on May 14, 2010 at 2:10 pm

Great Comment,Nick.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on April 2, 2011 at 1:13 pm

Nick, we saw the PATRIOT there with a Disney First feature,Remember.How did they pull that one off.LOL.

Susan Walker
Susan Walker on June 2, 2011 at 4:06 am

The Belmont Drive-In’s spring reopening was delayed due to storm damage – but they’re opening in a couple of weeks! http://www.gastongazette.com/news/count-57988-teresa-drive.html

raysson
raysson on June 2, 2011 at 10:44 am

There was an ad in the Gastonia newspaper about the showing of Steven Spielburg’s 1982 hit “E.T.” which played here first-run on Friday June 11, 1982. In fact, it also played first-run at the Gaston Mall Theatre so it played in two venues in the Gastonia area. So

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on September 2, 2013 at 5:47 pm

thanks raysson…guess digital will close this one….

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on September 5, 2014 at 4:30 pm

I just heard the BELMONT is Closed……really strange it always had them packed in,,Maybe the couldn’t afford the UPDATES, maybe someone local will CONFIRM this/…

Chris1982
Chris1982 on September 30, 2014 at 9:59 pm

From the Gaston Gazette: The Belmont Drive-In Theatre’s days as a viable business may have cruised into the sunset. Longtime fans get the itch to head to the beloved venue every year around this time when the weather turns warm. Visions pop into people’s heads of paying a mere $10 per car to watch a movie outdoors, under the stars. But owner David Lawing said the drive-in’s future at 314 McAdenville Road is more uncertain than ever. “We used to always try to be open around March or the first of April,” he said. “We’re trying, but I don’t know if we’re going to be able to get it back open or not.” The problem is one that’s been sneaking up on Lawing for years. The film industry is moving away from distributing movies on 35mm film, instead converting to a digital format that involves sending DVD-style discs to operations like Lawing’s. The Belmont Drive-In still uses the same, trusty projector that Lawing’s father, Bill Lawing, used when he ran it as a teenager decades ago. He and his wife, Peggy, continued using it when they fulfilled a lifetime dream and bought the drive-in nearly 30 years ago. But the conversion means Lawing will need a digital projector to continue showing new and recent releases from most studios. He said buying and installing that type of high-tech equipment would cost upward of $100,000 — money he doesn’t have. “It depends on whether or not we can swing financing to get a new projector,” he said. “We may not ever open again.” Film companies began moving away from 35mm prints last year and said they planned to completely do away with distribution last December, Lawing said. A post on the drive-in’s Facebook page last October reflected the growing dilemma. “We will be closed this weekend due to no 35mm prints being available,” it reads. Some of the film companies are doing away with the old film more quickly than others, but Lawing said the problem has become too big to work around. Myriad other problems have plagued the drive-in since 2011. It’s become routine for the outdoor cinema to open late in the season, shut down before warm weather ends, or sometimes close a couple of weeks in the middle of the summer. In 2011, storms damaged the large movie screen and roadside sign, requiring extensive repairs before the venue opened in June. In 2012, the Belmont Drive-In opened relatively on time but had to close unexpectedly for several weeks due to a faulty well on the property. It shut down again that year because of a rotten utility pole and other electric issues that were costly and time-consuming to fix, Lawing said. The bad well caused the drive-in to shut down early again last fall. Lawing said he’s holding out hope that he, his brother and his sister can upgrade the drive-in’s technology and stay in business. He is not confident. Closing permanently would pain him, he said, considering his family’s long ties to the business and nostalgia that exists there. “Everything’s up in the air right now,” he said. “It will be a big letdown if we can’t do it.”

Chris1982
Chris1982 on January 2, 2015 at 1:30 am

The website is no longer available.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on July 8, 2018 at 1:29 pm

sad, not a bad place, close to the interstate,concession and rest rooms really run down.

BoothNinja
BoothNinja on May 26, 2023 at 7:29 am

It’s about to re-open folks!

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