Ford-Wyoming Drive-In is a

drive-in theater A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of movie theater, cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers ...

located in

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States pe ...

, United States. Opened in 1950, it features five screens. The property previously had nine, leading it to be declared the largest drive-in theater in the world.

History

Clark Enterprises built the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In in 1950. The theater opened for business on May 19 of that year, with a double-bill of ''

The Man from Colorado ''The Man from Colorado'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Henry Levin, produced by Jules Schermer for Columbia Pictures, and starring Glenn Ford as a Union officer who becomes addicted to killing during the American Civil War, Willia ...

'' and ''

Road to Rio ''Road to Rio'' is a 1947 American semimusical comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. Written by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose, the film is about two inept vaudevillians who stow away on ...

'' as its first attraction. Upon opening, the drive-in had the capacity for 750 cars. Wayne Amusements purchased the drive-in in 1981 and expanded it by continuing to add screens. At its peak, the Ford-Wyoming had nine screens and a capacity of over 3,000 cars, leading it to become the largest drive-in theater in the world. In 2006, the owners sold the land on which the sixth through ninth screens were located. This decision was made due to a decline in population of the Detroit area. The five screens have remained operational since this downsizing. This has reduced the overall capacity to 2,500 cars. It is one of nine remaining drive-in theaters in the state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, and the only one in

Metro Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the ...

. As of 2019, the theater is owned by Charles Shafer.

References

External links

Official website
{{Dearborn, Michigan 1950 establishments in Michigan Buildings and structures in Dearborn, Michigan Cinemas and movie theaters in Michigan Drive-in theaters in the United States Tourist attractions in Detroit