Like many small town theaters, the Fenway was reduced to weekend operation only. The venue closed with “The War Wagon” on March 3, 1968 likely at the end of a second 20-year leasing period. Plans to reopen it in the Fall of 1968 do not appear to have materialized and the venue’s 280 seats were sold off in 1970/1.
The National initially closed in 1930. Warner Brothers rewired the venue for Vitaphone sound playing German language films beginning on December 3, 1931. That turned out to be a dud closing after six weeks on January 19, 1932 playing the German film, “Die Lindenwirtin vom Rhein.” That is its final screening.
The last showing at the National Theatre was scheduled as a four-wall for April 1, 1933 of “Mad Moments of Youth.” That was halted by the local police. So the venue’s last call was in 1932. The venue was listed as “abandoned” before being used for storage.
The Majestic Theatre closed on May 13, 1935 as a third-tier, sub-run house. It was allowed to sit empty for 10 years by the Fred Klein Estate and Jersey City Amusements. They sold the theatre outright. The venue then ends up on a delinquent tax roster. There’s no indication that it ever had a show past 1935.
The UA State Theatre 4 closed on December 2, 1990 with “Rocky V,” “Predator 2,” “Misery” and “Rescuers: Down Under” splitting a screen with “Child’s Play 2.”
Drive-Ins were often built by land speculators who wanted to lease land for low-risk ventures that could be demolished at any time, especially when the land value increased. The drive-in that led to the highest dollar project ever in the history of drive-in theater replacements is found right here on the waterfront of the Hackensack River: the Roosevelt Drive-In.
The exceedingly large - space for 2,000 cars - Roosevelt Drive-In Theatre came in on July 13, 1955 by Richard A. Smith’s Smith’s Management (later General Drive-In and, yet later, General Cinema Corp.) with “Strategic Air Command” & “Shotgun” playing in CinemaScope. In 1972, the Drive-In business had changed and it was raided in the porno chic era for showing “School Girls Growing Up” for alleged obscenity. The site was extensively photographed by the district attorney’s office at that point because underage folks were seen outside of the venue getting free looks - a concern for locals. It wasn’t the last time the drive-in would be heavily photographed.
The Roosevelt returned to R and PG exploitation double-feature fare going out of business following a shark-infested double-feature with “Tintorera” and “Shark’s Treasure” on August 27, 1978. The City bought the land to develop the property with a reboot as early as the start of the 1980s. A funny thing happened, however, when toxic waste housed in barrels was dumped on the site leading to a slight delay in the project - four decades - and a massive clean-up bill to remove the toxic hazard that was New Jersey’s Roosevelt Drive-In site.
The barrels turned out to be only a tiny fraction of the problem as toxic “hexavalent chromium” (in response to the question above) had seeped into the waterway turning it green. Two photographers captured the toxic green ooze that was the Hackensack River with the abandoned Roosevelt Drive-In prevalent in many of those shots (see photos). The dystopian art display made the art circuit rounds. Meanwhile, the question became, “Who would pay for this mess?” By the time the clean-up was ostensibly completed - to the best of anyone’s knowledge - the project had surpassed $500 million. That’s before any project could even be built on the property.
So the answer to the question, “What’s the highest dollar project ever at a former drive-in theatre?” It is clearly the Roosevelt Drive-In Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The Bergen was built in 1937 in McGinley Square and opening February 26, 1938 with “Mayerling.” It closed under than name at the expiry of a 15-year leasing agreement on October 23, 1952 with a double-feature of “Mad Lover” and “Naughty Widow.”
Steinberg Circuit took on the venue noting that interest in television was “leveling off” yet placing a large screen TV in the venue’s second floor lounge. It relaunched as the Pix Theatre on February 27, 1953 with “Limelight” on a new 25-year lease.
In 1973, the venue - on a sublease to Pix Theatres, Inc. during the porno chic era - changed to X-rated films. That brought retaliation for local law enforcement led by John McLaughlin forcing the theater to change policies to double-feature chopsocky films. It made a shift to showing second-run double-features of Blaxploitation films in the mid-1970s. Its final showings at end of lease were July 25, 1978 with “Black Samurai” and “The Executioner.” Those titles remained on the marquee long after the theatre was boarded up.
A new lessee came in to refresh the space for a movie theater before giving up after a water pipe incident flooded the venue. The double feature of “The Executioner” and “Black Samurai” ended in 1981 when the venue was converted to a disco-influenced roller rink called Outer Skates.
Disco died and the skating craze ended in early 1983 with a lock-out for non-lease payment. It became a short-lived dance studio. It became a front for the manufacturing of counterfeit merchandising in 1992. It then became a church in 1993 to substantially reduce its tax liability. It was later chopped up into retail stores.
Sorry: This opened as the Harris Theatre and explains the Harris name atop the building. It may have also been a home to the Gaines Theatre for a brief period.
M.C. Hughes launched the Estill Theatre on July 10, 1941. The venue was a replacement for the Strand Theatre which had burned down in August of 1940. The Estill purportedly closed at the end of a 10-year lease on October 21, 1951 with “The Brave Bulls.” Weeks later it was sold off at auction to Mr. and Mrs. McClanahan who changed its name to the Mack Theatre at its reopening in December of 1951.
The Mac Drive-In Theatre was added as a summer-time venue. in January of 1955, the venue refreshed the auditorium with widescreen projection to show CinemaScope titles. The Mack closed on April 16, 1962 for the summer with the Mack Drive-In opening four days later. The Mack doesn’t appear to have reopened.
I think there’s some confusion on this entry by Chuck. Reporting of the day shows that Mr. and Mrs. Ralph E. and Connie McClanahan took on Irvine’s hardtop Estill Theatre changing its name who to the Mack Theatre at its reopening in December of 1951. In January of 1955, they switched to widescreen projection. The McClanahans also built the Mack Drive-In in West Irvine to operate both seasonally. The Mack Drive-In was a new-build facility that could play widescreen films, as well, opening on August 4, 1955 with Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster in “Vera Cruz.”
The hardtop Mack closed on April 16, 1962 for the summer with the Mack Drive-In reopening for the season four days later. The Mack hardtop doesn’t appear to have reopened. The Mack continued through the 1967 season under that name closing after the September 25, 1967 showings of “Kentucky Rebel” and “The Game Is Over.”
After inactivity, D. Baker took on the Mack renaming it as the Del Vue Drive-In at some point. As for a Palmer Drive-In, the only thing that registers is that there was a New Drive-In Theatre built near the Irvine Bridge that is visible on a satellite map. It launched by Palmer & Taylor on October 16, 1947 with “Let Them Have It.” So it’s possible that it could have been called, informally, the Palmer or, more likely, Palmer’s Drive-In in Irvine though advertised as the New Drive-In Theatre. In 1948, that drive-in is used for staging of events.
As there is no evidence that this was ever the Palmer Drive-In - launching as the Mack in 1955 - I think that’s the better timeline.
The theater was listed as “Closed Until Further Notice” after the October 4, 1981 showings “The Unseen” and “The Children.” We are still awaiting a potential reopening date in 2025.
The People’s Theatre opened on December 28, 1909 in a retrofit of a building constructed in 1840. The theatre was remodeled in 1915 and the name was changed to the Queen Theatre on May 27, 1915. It was closed in January 1918. It was used for sporadic events to 1930. Converted to sound it became the Saville on April 28, 1931.
It was purchased by Malco and had reopening as the New Malco Theatre on Aug. 25, 1949 with “I was a Male War Bride” in photos. The venue closed as the Malco Theatre on Jan. 14, 1968 with “Hurry Sundown” and “El Dorado.” It moved to its new location 11 days later. The building was demolished.
Not sure why there are multiple listings for this singular theater in this database. It is the same building and home to a livery stable, carriage display store, bowling alley, laundry, and four theaters in the People’s, Queen, Seville, and New Malco/Malco. The original wood trusses were part of each of the businesses with the exception of the New Malco/Malco which replaced the 109 year old wood trusses with metal ones.
Starlight Theatre Corporation of Hartford, Kentucky was an original lessee of the Lincoln Mall which was drawn up in 1969. Woolworth’s big box store, Woolco, was the primary anchor tenant with Winn-Dixie opening a grocery store there. By the time the theatre opened, Malco Theatre Circuit was the operator opening November 25, 1970 with “Monte Walsh” and “Patton.“ The auditoriums were identical with 224 seats or 448 in total.
Towne Square Mall brought a far superior center and Lincoln Mall was all but done in by the departure of Woolco in 1984. The Mall theatre soldiered on as a lightly trafficked sub-run, discount house for 13 more years. Winn-Dixie left in 1989. But Malco just kept the Mall Twin going all the way to closure January 30, 1997 with “Daylight” and “Romeo & Juliet.”
The Lincoln Mall filled in with a church and Goodwill Store as it turned non-profit and empty. The theater was given a festive storefront which stayed frozen in place even after the closing of the Lincoln Mall.
This opened as the Towne Cinema on January 15, 1970 with “The Sundance Kid” on a 20-year leasing agreement. It was a single screen venue with 351 seats at launch. It was twinned in 1976 becoming the Towne Cinema I & II.
The venue received new operators and a new 25-year leasing agreement in 1990. It closed for a refresh in December of 1993. It reopened as the Cinema III in 1994. On July 29, 2005, it became Cinema 4. It closed at the end of lease on February 1, 2015 with “American Sniper,” “Penguins of Madagascar,” “Paddington,” “Annie” and “Night at the Museum 3.”
Selba Amusement built the Selba Theatre with 600,000 bricks in 1921 and it opened February 21, 1922. Paul and Aubrey Whitmer opened the Acirema Sweet Shop in the Selba serving as its de facto concession stand. The Selba transitioned to sound to remain viable.
Crescent Amusement took on the venue in 1937 giving it a streamline moderne makeover and changing its name to the State Theatre. It was converted to widescreen to present CinemaScope titles in the 1950s. It celebrated its 42d birthday on February 21, 1964. But its last day of operation was just three days later on February 24, 1964 with Jerry Lewis in “Who’s Minding the Store?” Early on February 25th, it was obliterated in a spectacular and explosive fire that took the neighboring JC Penney store. Everybody seemed to mind.
A Wilmer Blincoe - operator of the Parkway Drive-In in Owensboro - launched Muhlenberg County’s first ozoner in the Twilite (not Twilight) Drive-In with space for 200 cars and a 50' wide screen. The venue opened on September 23, 1952. Blincoe’s first drive-in was in Troy, Indiana where folks came in Model A Fords, horse and wagons, and on foot.
Blincoe sold the ozoner to Darrell Mosley of Calhoun in 1971. The new operator switched to “R” rated films - both adult comedies and New Hollywood fare ranging from “Taxi Driver” to “Revenge of the Cheerleaders.” The last advertised show was November 28, 1976 with “Gumball Rally” and “Take a Hard Ride.” It may well have had two seasons of showtimes without advertising.
The Benton Theatre closed on April 6, 1964 with “Kings of the Sun.” An article that same year discussed its conversion to office space. It was opened by Chickasaw Amusement Company on December 9, 1939 on a 25-year leasing agreement. The town had a previous Benton Theatre which was operated by W.P. Williams as early as 1933.
Russell & Estella McClanahan and Max Goldberg launched the New Irvine Theatre on March 29, 1939 with “Tailspin Tommy.” The McClanahans would take over the Estill Theatre at a commissioner’s auction late in 1951 renaming it as the Mack Theatre. They would in 1955 operating three theaters. The Irvine operated year-round, the Mack Drive-In in the summer months, and the Mack when the Drive-In was closed. The venue was still advertising as the New Irvine Theatre in 1992.
Like many small town theaters, the Fenway was reduced to weekend operation only. The venue closed with “The War Wagon” on March 3, 1968 likely at the end of a second 20-year leasing period. Plans to reopen it in the Fall of 1968 do not appear to have materialized and the venue’s 280 seats were sold off in 1970/1.
The National initially closed in 1930. Warner Brothers rewired the venue for Vitaphone sound playing German language films beginning on December 3, 1931. That turned out to be a dud closing after six weeks on January 19, 1932 playing the German film, “Die Lindenwirtin vom Rhein.” That is its final screening.
The last showing at the National Theatre was scheduled as a four-wall for April 1, 1933 of “Mad Moments of Youth.” That was halted by the local police. So the venue’s last call was in 1932. The venue was listed as “abandoned” before being used for storage.
The Majestic Theatre closed on May 13, 1935 as a third-tier, sub-run house. It was allowed to sit empty for 10 years by the Fred Klein Estate and Jersey City Amusements. They sold the theatre outright. The venue then ends up on a delinquent tax roster. There’s no indication that it ever had a show past 1935.
Appears to have closed in late 1933.
It closed on May 19, 1968 with “Hour of the Wolf.”
The UA State Theatre 4 closed on December 2, 1990 with “Rocky V,” “Predator 2,” “Misery” and “Rescuers: Down Under” splitting a screen with “Child’s Play 2.”
The last advertised showtimes were on July 6, 1952 with “Joe” and “Kangaroo.”
Drive-Ins were often built by land speculators who wanted to lease land for low-risk ventures that could be demolished at any time, especially when the land value increased. The drive-in that led to the highest dollar project ever in the history of drive-in theater replacements is found right here on the waterfront of the Hackensack River: the Roosevelt Drive-In.
The exceedingly large - space for 2,000 cars - Roosevelt Drive-In Theatre came in on July 13, 1955 by Richard A. Smith’s Smith’s Management (later General Drive-In and, yet later, General Cinema Corp.) with “Strategic Air Command” & “Shotgun” playing in CinemaScope. In 1972, the Drive-In business had changed and it was raided in the porno chic era for showing “School Girls Growing Up” for alleged obscenity. The site was extensively photographed by the district attorney’s office at that point because underage folks were seen outside of the venue getting free looks - a concern for locals. It wasn’t the last time the drive-in would be heavily photographed.
The Roosevelt returned to R and PG exploitation double-feature fare going out of business following a shark-infested double-feature with “Tintorera” and “Shark’s Treasure” on August 27, 1978. The City bought the land to develop the property with a reboot as early as the start of the 1980s. A funny thing happened, however, when toxic waste housed in barrels was dumped on the site leading to a slight delay in the project - four decades - and a massive clean-up bill to remove the toxic hazard that was New Jersey’s Roosevelt Drive-In site.
The barrels turned out to be only a tiny fraction of the problem as toxic “hexavalent chromium” (in response to the question above) had seeped into the waterway turning it green. Two photographers captured the toxic green ooze that was the Hackensack River with the abandoned Roosevelt Drive-In prevalent in many of those shots (see photos). The dystopian art display made the art circuit rounds. Meanwhile, the question became, “Who would pay for this mess?” By the time the clean-up was ostensibly completed - to the best of anyone’s knowledge - the project had surpassed $500 million. That’s before any project could even be built on the property.
So the answer to the question, “What’s the highest dollar project ever at a former drive-in theatre?” It is clearly the Roosevelt Drive-In Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The Bergen was built in 1937 in McGinley Square and opening February 26, 1938 with “Mayerling.” It closed under than name at the expiry of a 15-year leasing agreement on October 23, 1952 with a double-feature of “Mad Lover” and “Naughty Widow.”
Steinberg Circuit took on the venue noting that interest in television was “leveling off” yet placing a large screen TV in the venue’s second floor lounge. It relaunched as the Pix Theatre on February 27, 1953 with “Limelight” on a new 25-year lease.
In 1973, the venue - on a sublease to Pix Theatres, Inc. during the porno chic era - changed to X-rated films. That brought retaliation for local law enforcement led by John McLaughlin forcing the theater to change policies to double-feature chopsocky films. It made a shift to showing second-run double-features of Blaxploitation films in the mid-1970s. Its final showings at end of lease were July 25, 1978 with “Black Samurai” and “The Executioner.” Those titles remained on the marquee long after the theatre was boarded up.
A new lessee came in to refresh the space for a movie theater before giving up after a water pipe incident flooded the venue. The double feature of “The Executioner” and “Black Samurai” ended in 1981 when the venue was converted to a disco-influenced roller rink called Outer Skates.
Disco died and the skating craze ended in early 1983 with a lock-out for non-lease payment. It became a short-lived dance studio. It became a front for the manufacturing of counterfeit merchandising in 1992. It then became a church in 1993 to substantially reduce its tax liability. It was later chopped up into retail stores.
Sorry: This opened as the Harris Theatre and explains the Harris name atop the building. It may have also been a home to the Gaines Theatre for a brief period.
Architect: Lewis Walter Leete
M.C. Hughes launched the Estill Theatre on July 10, 1941. The venue was a replacement for the Strand Theatre which had burned down in August of 1940. The Estill purportedly closed at the end of a 10-year lease on October 21, 1951 with “The Brave Bulls.” Weeks later it was sold off at auction to Mr. and Mrs. McClanahan who changed its name to the Mack Theatre at its reopening in December of 1951.
The Mac Drive-In Theatre was added as a summer-time venue. in January of 1955, the venue refreshed the auditorium with widescreen projection to show CinemaScope titles. The Mack closed on April 16, 1962 for the summer with the Mack Drive-In opening four days later. The Mack doesn’t appear to have reopened.
I think there’s some confusion on this entry by Chuck. Reporting of the day shows that Mr. and Mrs. Ralph E. and Connie McClanahan took on Irvine’s hardtop Estill Theatre changing its name who to the Mack Theatre at its reopening in December of 1951. In January of 1955, they switched to widescreen projection. The McClanahans also built the Mack Drive-In in West Irvine to operate both seasonally. The Mack Drive-In was a new-build facility that could play widescreen films, as well, opening on August 4, 1955 with Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster in “Vera Cruz.”
The hardtop Mack closed on April 16, 1962 for the summer with the Mack Drive-In reopening for the season four days later. The Mack hardtop doesn’t appear to have reopened. The Mack continued through the 1967 season under that name closing after the September 25, 1967 showings of “Kentucky Rebel” and “The Game Is Over.”
After inactivity, D. Baker took on the Mack renaming it as the Del Vue Drive-In at some point. As for a Palmer Drive-In, the only thing that registers is that there was a New Drive-In Theatre built near the Irvine Bridge that is visible on a satellite map. It launched by Palmer & Taylor on October 16, 1947 with “Let Them Have It.” So it’s possible that it could have been called, informally, the Palmer or, more likely, Palmer’s Drive-In in Irvine though advertised as the New Drive-In Theatre. In 1948, that drive-in is used for staging of events.
As there is no evidence that this was ever the Palmer Drive-In - launching as the Mack in 1955 - I think that’s the better timeline.
Demolished May 2025
Formal opening ad as the Seville Theatre on April 28, 1931 with Gloria Swanson in “What a Widow” in photos.
Demolition took place in October and November of 1968
The theater was listed as “Closed Until Further Notice” after the October 4, 1981 showings “The Unseen” and “The Children.” We are still awaiting a potential reopening date in 2025.
The theater closed on September 13, 1959 with Raw Wind in Eden and Kathy-O
The People’s Theatre opened on December 28, 1909 in a retrofit of a building constructed in 1840. The theatre was remodeled in 1915 and the name was changed to the Queen Theatre on May 27, 1915. It was closed in January 1918. It was used for sporadic events to 1930. Converted to sound it became the Saville on April 28, 1931.
It was purchased by Malco and had reopening as the New Malco Theatre on Aug. 25, 1949 with “I was a Male War Bride” in photos. The venue closed as the Malco Theatre on Jan. 14, 1968 with “Hurry Sundown” and “El Dorado.” It moved to its new location 11 days later. The building was demolished.
Not sure why there are multiple listings for this singular theater in this database. It is the same building and home to a livery stable, carriage display store, bowling alley, laundry, and four theaters in the People’s, Queen, Seville, and New Malco/Malco. The original wood trusses were part of each of the businesses with the exception of the New Malco/Malco which replaced the 109 year old wood trusses with metal ones.
Last showtimes were May 10, 1958 with “Big Beat” an “wild Harvest.” In March of 1966, the venue was demolished
Closed November 4, 1955 with “99 River Street” and “Dragon’s Gold.” It was converted to an auction house.
908 W. 8th Street
Starlight Theatre Corporation of Hartford, Kentucky was an original lessee of the Lincoln Mall which was drawn up in 1969. Woolworth’s big box store, Woolco, was the primary anchor tenant with Winn-Dixie opening a grocery store there. By the time the theatre opened, Malco Theatre Circuit was the operator opening November 25, 1970 with “Monte Walsh” and “Patton.“ The auditoriums were identical with 224 seats or 448 in total.
Towne Square Mall brought a far superior center and Lincoln Mall was all but done in by the departure of Woolco in 1984. The Mall theatre soldiered on as a lightly trafficked sub-run, discount house for 13 more years. Winn-Dixie left in 1989. But Malco just kept the Mall Twin going all the way to closure January 30, 1997 with “Daylight” and “Romeo & Juliet.”
The Lincoln Mall filled in with a church and Goodwill Store as it turned non-profit and empty. The theater was given a festive storefront which stayed frozen in place even after the closing of the Lincoln Mall.
This opened as the Towne Cinema on January 15, 1970 with “The Sundance Kid” on a 20-year leasing agreement. It was a single screen venue with 351 seats at launch. It was twinned in 1976 becoming the Towne Cinema I & II.
The venue received new operators and a new 25-year leasing agreement in 1990. It closed for a refresh in December of 1993. It reopened as the Cinema III in 1994. On July 29, 2005, it became Cinema 4. It closed at the end of lease on February 1, 2015 with “American Sniper,” “Penguins of Madagascar,” “Paddington,” “Annie” and “Night at the Museum 3.”
Selba Amusement built the Selba Theatre with 600,000 bricks in 1921 and it opened February 21, 1922. Paul and Aubrey Whitmer opened the Acirema Sweet Shop in the Selba serving as its de facto concession stand. The Selba transitioned to sound to remain viable.
Crescent Amusement took on the venue in 1937 giving it a streamline moderne makeover and changing its name to the State Theatre. It was converted to widescreen to present CinemaScope titles in the 1950s. It celebrated its 42d birthday on February 21, 1964. But its last day of operation was just three days later on February 24, 1964 with Jerry Lewis in “Who’s Minding the Store?” Early on February 25th, it was obliterated in a spectacular and explosive fire that took the neighboring JC Penney store. Everybody seemed to mind.
A Wilmer Blincoe - operator of the Parkway Drive-In in Owensboro - launched Muhlenberg County’s first ozoner in the Twilite (not Twilight) Drive-In with space for 200 cars and a 50' wide screen. The venue opened on September 23, 1952. Blincoe’s first drive-in was in Troy, Indiana where folks came in Model A Fords, horse and wagons, and on foot.
Blincoe sold the ozoner to Darrell Mosley of Calhoun in 1971. The new operator switched to “R” rated films - both adult comedies and New Hollywood fare ranging from “Taxi Driver” to “Revenge of the Cheerleaders.” The last advertised show was November 28, 1976 with “Gumball Rally” and “Take a Hard Ride.” It may well have had two seasons of showtimes without advertising.
The Benton Theatre closed on April 6, 1964 with “Kings of the Sun.” An article that same year discussed its conversion to office space. It was opened by Chickasaw Amusement Company on December 9, 1939 on a 25-year leasing agreement. The town had a previous Benton Theatre which was operated by W.P. Williams as early as 1933.
Russell & Estella McClanahan and Max Goldberg launched the New Irvine Theatre on March 29, 1939 with “Tailspin Tommy.” The McClanahans would take over the Estill Theatre at a commissioner’s auction late in 1951 renaming it as the Mack Theatre. They would in 1955 operating three theaters. The Irvine operated year-round, the Mack Drive-In in the summer months, and the Mack when the Drive-In was closed. The venue was still advertising as the New Irvine Theatre in 1992.