Newark Drive-In
300 E. Cleveland Avenue,
Newark,
DE
19711
300 E. Cleveland Avenue,
Newark,
DE
19711
2 people
favorited this theater
The Eric Newark Drive-In opened as a single screen theatre on August 20, 1969 with George Segal in “Bridge at Remagen” & Bill Travers in “Ring of Bright Water”. It had a capacity for 1,000 cars. In the early-1980’s two more screens were added. A Ford dealership is now located on most of the land that this former drive-in once occupied.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
Here is a 1970 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS:
http://flic.kr/p/9c8vNi
friday marathon, i think was the summer of 84….
Information needs to be updated. In the early 80’s it was turned into the triplex drive in theater. There was a smaller screen put in front of the large single screena nd two other small ones to each side of the main one.
I worked there summer of 1978 as what we called a “ramp boy”. I must’ve been about 17. I repaired speakers, cut grass, picked up trash, switched film reels occasionally, directed exiting traffic, and any other odd tasks the manager could find for me. I was also supposed to track down unpaid guests and kick them out (the custom van craze was in full force then so many people snuck in); in practice, I often accepted bribes (usually a beer) to look the other way. Grease and Jaws 2 were the big releases we showed that summer. The main feature was often shown twice, with a minor movie sandwiched in between. Sometimes a more “adult” movie would be shown very late following the mainstream films.
Evidently, this theater stumbled while trying to open. Originally, ads started in the Wilmington newspaper on Aug. 9, 1969, saying the drive-in would open on August 13, then Aug. 15, and the theater finally did open on Aug. 20, 1969. Ive posted an ad of that date, stating “Grand Opening Tonight”, Aug. 20, 1969.
Closed on September 6, 1984 with “Flashpoint” at Screen 1, “Red Dawn” at Screen 2, and “Brainstorm” at Screen 3. Demolished in 1988.
I had no clue this was an Eric theater. When they triplexes the theater they ruined it by putting a much smaller screen in front of that awesome single screen
That’s a picture of my car I took before we opened. I was supervising the snack bar opening as the Berlo Vending supervisor at the time, they’re were constant delays with the grading etc., that delayed the opening, and yes it was an Eric theater drive-in.
Nice!
On google maps you can see the area has stayed a similar shape to the theater, and the footing for where the snack bar used to be is now concrete slabs where the companies keep their dumpsters.