The drive-in theatre had a capacity of 575 cars with a 54 X 36-foot screen held by a 75-foot tower. Jack Miles worked with architects Liebenberg and Kaplan from Minneapolis to design it. The company financed the $150,000 project ($1.7 million today) and owned and operated 18 movie theatres around Winnipeg. (originally named Allied Amusements Ltd.) was Western Canada’s largest theatre chain and a Winnipeg-based company owned by Jack Miles. One of the first drive-ins to open in Winnipeg was Pembina Drive-In on July 19, 1949, on Pembina Highway near today’s Bishop Grandin Boulevard. The first one in Canada opened in 1946 in Stoney Creek (Hamilton, Ontario). Many of the old drive-in locations have been converted into residential areas, shopping strips, or more-developed streets.įun fact: the first-ever patented drive-in theatre opened in 1933 in New Jersey. As the City of Winnipeg developed, the need for land grew. Indoor theatres offered similar amenities to the drive-ins: games, concession, and of course, the newest movie. Some drive-ins featured play areas for children or mini-golf and other activities to keep people busy while they wait for their showtime or an activity to make the night last longer.Īs the world evolved into a digital era, so did the movie scene. Opening nights sold out with showings of a cartoon, a newsreel, and/or “Red River,” a John Wayne film. It would cost roughly 25 cents ($2.87 today) for kids and roughly 60 cents ($6.89 today) for adults. It went beyond seeing a movie – it was the perfect girls-night-out, an opportunity to meet new people, a family activity, or date night. Movie-goers would sit under the stars with their friends, family, or partner to watch the newest film while surrounded with blankets, pillows, and snacks. Drive-in theatres were a hotspot and trend during the 1950s along with poodle skirts, letterman jackets, and soda fountains.
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