These are two of the screens at the Blue Grass Drive-In at 774 W. Mayne St. CREDIT BLUE GRASS DRIVE-IN
When you mention drive-in movie theaters, it brings back a flood of great memories for movie fans such as Michelle Rasmussen and Amber Harden. “When I was a kid, they had a drive-in in Muscatine, and there was a playground right under the big movie screen. All the adults stayed in their cars, and we […]
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When you mention drive-in movie theaters, it brings back a flood of great memories for movie fans such as Michelle Rasmussen and Amber Harden.“When I was a kid, they had a drive-in in Muscatine, and there was a playground right under the big movie screen. All the adults stayed in their cars, and we played under the movies. … That’s my favorite memory of the drive-in,” Ms. Harden, of Muscatine, Iowa, recalled.For Ms. Rasmussen of Park View, Iowa, the drive-in was a place to enjoy fireworks – and, of course, the movies.“We like to go around the Fourth of July and see people setting off all the fireworks. … They show double features, so we all watch the first movie and the kids fall asleep during the second one,” she said. “It’s always well after midnight when we finally pull out of the drive-in.” The eastern Iowa women are two of the droves of movie fans helping keep the outdoor movie theaters alive in the region. They not only have great memories, they both are current movie fans who love visiting eastern Iowa’s two surviving drive-ins – the Voy 61 Drive In, located near Maquoketa, and the Blue Grass Drive-In Theater.Patrons get ready to see a movie at the Voy 61 Drive In Theatre near Maquoketa, Iowa. CREDIT VOY 61The status of the drive-in movie industry seems to be a mixed bag. On one hand, the numbers keep falling. In the 1950s at their peak, more than 4,000 drive-ins were operating in the country. Today, about 330 drive-in movie theaters still exist scattered across the U.S. In Illinois, nine drive-ins survive while Iowa only has four left, according to the website driveinmovie.com.There are several reasons for the decline. They include the rise of multiplex indoor movie theaters, TV, movie streaming services at home, the rising equipment costs for drive-ins, and even real estate prices. The increased value of real estate has made it more profitable to turn drive-in movie sites into housing developments, shopping centers and other commercial ventures, according to Premiere Outdoor Movies, an outdoor movie company that services the east coast.“However, the decline didn’t mark the end of the drive-in theater. Instead, it led to a nostalgic resurgence, particularly in recent years. This revival has been driven by a desire for unique, retro entertainment experiences and a renewed appreciation for the simplicity and charm of drive-ins,” according to information from Premiere.A movie is shown during a recent night at the Voy 61 Drive In Theatre near Maquoketa, Iowa. CREDIT VOY 61In the Quad Cities region, the two surviving drive-in theaters owe their success partially due to that revival. The Blue Grass Drive-In Theater opened a decade ago by a businessman who wanted to bring back some great family entertainment to the region. But the Voy 61 Drive In is the continuation of a long-standing theater business. This year, the Voy is celebrating its 75th anniversary.Here’s a closer look at the Quad Cities area's two drive-in theaters:
Voy 61 Drive In Theatre
For the past 53 years, the Maquoketa area drive-in has been owned by Dennis Voy. His granddaughter, Sara Clasen, has worked in the business for almost her entire life, and has been Voy 61’s manager for about the past six years. Sara Clasen, manager of the Voy 61 Drive In Theatre near Maquoketa, Iowa, is shown in front of the big outdoor movie screen. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON“I love keeping my grandpa’s legacy going. … It’s such a unique experience. It’s about time for families,” Ms. Clasen told the QCBJ.She added that even though there are plenty of challenges, business has been good at the Voy 61, which is located at 1228 U.S. Highway 61. It is near the end of a dead end road, surrounded on three sides by corn and soybeans fields. The busy Highway 61 is just a few yards away from the drive-in with hundreds of cars and trucks zooming by every day.One of the reasons the business has survived and thrived over the years is because Ms. Clasen has learned a valuable lesson about the business. That lesson is – the movie is not always the main feature at the Voy. People come to have fun with their family. Since they can bring in their own food and drinks into the drive-in, patrons often come early – sometimes arriving at 5:30 p.m. for a double feature that starts after 9 p.m. – to have a tailgate party. The kids have fun riding a miniature train and playing in a playground under the big screen. There’s also a baseball field, basketball hoop and a lot of space to run around and play.“It’s more than just coming to watch a movie. We make it as fun as possible,” said Ms. Clasen.In fact, the future of the business will probably center on those fun, non-movie activities. She said she will likely add more playground activities for kids in the coming years.At the Voy, it’s all about creating a fun atmosphere for the entire family. There have been times that four generations of the same family come to the Voy, she explained.While a lot of that family fun centers on the playground, it is still the movie itself that gets many people to the drive-in. Ms. Clasen said that movies for young people bring in the crowds. She said that one of the most popular movies in the past few years was “Inside Out 2” that came out last year. The movie sold out at the Voy for three weekends in a row. (A sellout crowd is about 240 vehicles. A “normal weekend” crowd will be about 150 to 175 vehicles a night.)Ms. Clasen added that what most movie-goers don’t realize is that smaller drive-ins, like the Voy, actually make little money on the movies. Under the movie distribution deal they have with film distributors, up to 70% of the money collected at the drive-in’s front gate goes back to the movie studios.What keeps the doors open is the money collected at the concession stand. The popcorn, soft drinks, tacos, hot dogs, pizza and other goodies are the financial “bread and butter” that keep the movies playing, she said.Some of the other facts and figures about the Voy Drive-In include:
The season: It often opens in late March and “I like to squeeze in every last weekend I can,” she said. The Voy has stayed open in December to have holiday-related activities, such as a “Polar Express” pajama party.
Employees: The drive-in has about 12 part-time employees. Ms. Clasen and her three children are also kept busy helping out on movie nights. When popular movies play “people always ask me ‘Is the movie good?” I tell them, ‘Well, it sounds good.” That’s all I can tell them. I’m always busy during the movie,” she said.
The equipment: A big part of Voy’s equipment is a digital projector they call “Black Beauty.” “Black Beauty is our ride or die,” she said. There are no plans to replace the projector, but if they have to, it would cost over $100,000, the drive-in manager added.
The future: In addition to more kids’ activities, this summer Ms. Clasen has been busy making plans for Voy’s 75th anniversary events. Those events still were in the planning stages as of early July. She added she believes the Voy will continue to show movies and make memories for many years to come. “We will be here as long as people keep coming.”
Blue Grass Drive-In Theater
“It’s more than just coming to watch a movie. We make it as fun as possible,” said Randy Lorenz, owner of Blue Grass Drive-In. Mr. Lorenz started the drive-in about a decade ago in an effort to create a family friendly entertainment venue.Randy Lorenz, owner of Blue Grass Drive-In at 774 W. Mayne St., is shown in the concession area of the eastern Iowa business. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSONLike the Voy 61, the Blue Grass Drive-In has a lot of pre-movie activities and playground equipment for kids.But unlike the Maquoketa drive-in’s single screen, the Blue Grass business has four screens and can accommodate up to 500 vehicles on movie nights. It is open seven nights a week.In early July, some of the movies playing in Blue Grass included “Jurassic World Rebirth,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “M3GAN 2.0.” and “Lilo & Stitch.”“We’ve had a bunch of good movies come out this year. … The kids’ movies do really well. “It looks like all the way through October we will have good movies,” said Mr. Lorenz.He added that one of the big advantages his drive-in has over others is that its multi-screen format can show several different movies at the same time. Also, if one movie proves to be very popular, that movie can be shown on more than one screen.“It gives us a lot more flexibility,” he added.Even though there are some major differences between the Voy 61 and Blue Grass drive-ins, there is at least one aspect where they are the same – concession stand sales are what keeps the business running. Like the Voy 61, much of the admission fee money collected at the front gate goes back to the movie studios. That means money from the concession stand goodies is a main revenue source for the drive-in.With that in mind, Mr. Lorenz has made changes over the past few years to help the movie night experience go smoother for customers when they get their treats. Some of those changes include making the concession stand a lot less crowded. (The concession stand is often crowded because 1,000 or more movie-goers are busy looking to buy food during a short three-hour window on movie night.)The business owner has helped solve the problem by putting in more cashiers and installing self-service machines for soft drinks and popcorn. Movie-goers also can place their concession food orders online and get a text message when their food is ready.Unlike the Voy 61, the Blue Grass business doesn’t automatically allow its customers to bring in their own food and drinks. However, for a $10 fee, they can buy a “food pass” that allows them to bring in outside goodies for the movies.“We are constantly changing things around here,” he added.Here’s a closer look at the Blue Grass Drive-In:
Employees: The drive-in has about 14 part-time jobs. Mr. Lorenz said working at the drive-in is a great first job for students as it helps them learn valuable skills for the work world.
Equipment: The business has four projectors. He has no plans to add more projectors in the future, but the current movie equipment needs ongoing maintenance. For instance, the bulbs in the projectors will each last about three-fourths of one drive-in season. It costs about $1,000 for a new bulb.
Special events: In addition to movies, the drive-in has been used for weddings, music concerts and other gatherings. The screens are used to show personal messages and photos.
The future: He said future changes at the drive-in will center on more things for the children, such as a new bounce house, basketball, and looking at the needs and wants of the audience.
Even though there are challenges, the future is bright for the remaining drive-in movie theaters spread out across the country, according to D. Vogel, vice president of the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association (UDITOA) and owner of the Bengies Drive-In Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland.UDITOA is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the drive-in movie theater industry.“At the end of the day, I believe the drive-in theatres that still operate are staying put due to the devotion of the owners. Where the industry itself seems in "flux" depending on who you ask, in the case of the drive-in theatre, I would point out first that we are an entirely different venue than the indoor theatre, and due to the devotion of these independent owners, we are carrying on,” he recently told the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal.Mr. Vogel added that a big part of the continued success is because the industry has created a fan base that remains loyal.“Loyalty from our patrons actually penetrate generations of the same families. The kids who were very young children when I began the ownership of my theater in 1988, have become parents who brought their children, and now bring grandchildren to us,” said Mr. Vogel.In addition to those generations of fans, UDITOA is trying to build a brighter future for the industry. This year, the group is focusing on fans and recruiting future owners of drive-ins as “many of us are getting up in age and want to turn over operations to someone who wants to be their own boss, in control of their business, and have a love for our venue with the wish to keep it going.”In fact, UDITOA will host a “master class” at its upcoming fall gathering in Cleveland, Ohio, for those people who want to carry on the tradition of drive-in theaters.As for the immediate future, the local drive-in owners and managers said it’s all about getting people to see movies and enjoy the family atmosphere of the drive-ins.For instance, Ms. Clasen recently looked to the very busy Highway 61 in front of her Voy 61. She hopes some of those drivers on the highway will see the drive-in, slow down and decide to see a movie one of these nights. “Stop in and have some fun. It’s worth your time and effort,” she said.
Drive-in theaters at a glance:
Number of drive-ins: About 330 drive-in movie theaters still operate in the United States. There were about 550 in 2020 and 848 in 1995. In the 1950s – the peak of drive-in theaters – there were more than 4,000 in the country. – Driveinmovie.com
In Iowa: Four drive-in theaters still are open in Iowa. In addition to Voy 61 and the Blue Grass Drive-In, both in the Quad Cities region, there is Valle Drive-in in Newton and the Superior 71 Drive-In in Spirit Lake. – Traveliowa.com
In Illinois: Nine drive-in theaters remain open in Illinois. They include: Skyview in Belleville; Route 34 in Earlville; Harvest Moon in Gibson City; Skyview in Litchfield; McHenry Indoor/Outdoor in McHenry; Drive ‘N Theatre in Newton; Route 66 in Springfield; ChiTown in Chicago; and Midway in Sterling, about 65 miles northeast of the QC. – drivein-movie.com
Economics of drive-ins: The drive-in movie theater market was estimated at $1.14 billion nationwide last year and expected to grow to $1.18 billion in 2025, and to $1.68 billion by 2034, which is a 4% growth rate from 2025. – marketresearchfutures.com.
History: The first drive-in theatre was opened in Camden, New Jersey, in June of 1933. The original drive-in tickets cost 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person. Today, the average price of a movie ticket is about $9.26. – drivein-movie.com
