It’s lights out for city’s last drive-in movie screen

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/04/2008 (6427 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s last drive-in movie theatre is closing — and this time it’s for real.

“Unfortunately, the drive-in will not be reopening again this year,” said Pat Marshall, vice-president of communications for Cineplex Entertainment.

The Cineplex-managed Odeon Drive-In has operated for four decades just outside the city’s western border but, after poor attendance in 2004, it looked like closure was imminent. The theatre was spared for a few more years after more than 11,000 fans signed an online petition to keep the drive-in open.

“We did respond positively to that, and we did reopen the drive-in,” Marshall said.

But the grassroots effort to keep the theatre running didn’t translate into more visitors, said Marshall, and attendance has “fallen off quite dramatically,” with drops of more than 40 per cent over the last two summers.

The feel of the 998-car venue has been largely unchanged since it opened in 1964, making it a nostalgic draw for Winnipeggers during its season from the May long weekend to the September long weekend.

The land on which the drive-in is built has been up for sale for years, and Marshall said the owners of the property, who asked not to be named, will look for other uses for it.

The closure of Winnipeg’s only outdoor movie screen means just a few remain around the province, including Morden’s Stardust Drive-In.

Stardust co-owner Marlene Nelson said she’s sorry to hear the Winnipeg drive-in won’t open this year.

“I think sometimes when you have it in your backyard you take it for granted until it’s gone,” she said.

This season marks the sixth year Nelson has helped run the Stardust along with her husband, two brothers and a sister-in-law. Although visitors sometimes travel long distances to check out the theatre, it can still be hard to draw local people, she said.

Nelson recalls numerous conversations with people who spoke fondly of their teenage drive-in memories, but never seemed to get around to going as an adult.

“They have such nostalgia and they love it, but they still have to make it a priority to support it, or it’s not going to happen,” she said.

lindsey.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca