When they show movies, they are free, pets are allowed and they bring in food trucks for concessions. However, we have listed it as open to raise awareness of its existence because of its historical value. So technically it is no longer a drive-in because you literally can not "drive into the theater". But you cannot drive-in any longer but only walk in and bring chairs and blankets. They hold community events there and also hold a free movie series from May through November. The city also restored the mural and neon sign and in 2014, the Mission Marquee Plaza officially opened its doors. However, in 2007 the City of San Antonio purchased the drive-in and started to renovate it and turn it into a community center. The Mission Drive-in was eventually closed for good in 2003. The drive-in was unique because of its large screen tower which had an elaborate mural of the Alamo and neon on the outside. Sign up for our Events Newsletter.About Mission 4 Drive-in The Mission Drive-in was opened as a single screen drive-in in 1948. Get our top picks for the best (online!) events in San Antonio every Thursday morning. For movie showtimes and to purchase tickets, visit its website. The grand opening for the New Mission Outdoor Theater is Friday, September 4. “First, I want to show everyone that I am viable and that I’m not just a pop-up theater.”Įven so, if you want to watch Tenet this weekend and aren't ready to go into an indoor movie theater, the closest first-run drive-in is still a 45-minute commute from downtown San Antonio. “Showing first-run movies is a battle for another day,” Reyes said. Instead, it will follow the lead of Rooftop Cinema Club and EVO Entertainment and show classics such as Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Reyes estimates the price tag for the New Mission Outdoor Theater is closer to $100,000 since “a lot of the infrastructure was already there.”Īlso, unlike traditional drive-ins, the New Mission Outdoor Theater won't show first-run movies. Reyes said his structure is “a little more permanent” than a pop-up movie theater but “not anchored into the ground.” According to UDITOA, a new, one-screen drive-in theater would cost $300,000 to $500,000 to build. Rooftop Cinema Club presents its films on an inflatable screen, while EVO shows its movies on a makeshift screen hung on its indoor theater building. Other recent drive-in upstarts don't exactly match the scale or permanence of the older properties either. In contrast, the screens at Stars & Stripes are more than twice that size. The screens at the new theater, located at 8069 Challenger Blvd. in the former Brooks Air Force Base, are makeshift structures built on large shipping containers. The Blue Starlite Drive-In opened in 2010 and is the worlds first and only urban boutique drive-in movie theater. Unlike the original Mission and Stars & Stripes, the two 20-by-40-foot movie screens at the New Mission Outdoor Theater don't match the size of those at traditional drive-ins. Upgrade to recliner chair seating, enjoy beer with movies. According to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association (UDITOA), there are only 12 permanent drive-in movie theaters still operating in Texas. The closest of those is the Stars & Stripes Drive-In Theatre in New Braunfels. Visit your local Cinemark movie theater in San Antonio near you. While the two theaters share a similar name, recreating the original Mission Drive-In would be tough.įor one thing, aficionados argue over what constitutes a real drive-in theater. That’s the community experience I want to bring back to the South Side. For me, it was about coming together to do something. “I wasn’t trying to step on anybody’s toes with the name. “I used to go to the Mission Drive-In when I was a child,” said New Mission Outdoor Theater owner Fred Reyes, a data center manager and former Rey Feo Fiesta San Antonio ambassador. Named after the Mission Drive-In Theater on Roosevelt Avenue - which closed in 2003, leaving San Antonio with zero drive-ins - the new South Side outdoor theater aims to pick up where its predecessor left off. Now, add the New Mission Outdoor Theater to the mix - although its developer is aspiring for a little more permanence. With the pandemic slashing attendance at indoor movie theaters, the rise in popularity of drive-ins has been evident locally with pop-up theaters staged by Rooftop Cinema Club and EVO Entertainment Group. The screens at the New Mission Outdoor Theater are mounted on shipping containers.
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