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Coyote Drive-In theater in Fort Worth announced it’s closing next month.<\/p>\n
Reggie Casagrande\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Texas used to be a drive-in movie<\/a> theater hub<\/a>, but now the film-going experience is nearly extinct in the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n The Coyote Drive-In theater in Fort Worth has announced it will permanently close after 14 years of operation<\/a>. The theater opened in 2012 and featured four screens and a full restaurant and bar. Redevelopment plans for the area are at the heart of the closure, with Fort Worth planning to build new canals and a 3-acre park where the theater lies.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “When we opened Coyote Drive-In, we hoped to create more than just a place to watch movies; we wanted to create a place where families and friends could come together and make lasting memories,” Glenn Solomon, a managing partner of the theater, said in a press release.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the drive-in theater hosted high school graduations, a Jimmy Buffett concert,<\/a> an outdoor skating rink, Fourth of July celebrations and more. The theater will host a final screening on Sept. 7.\u00a0<\/p>\n Residents and patrons of Coyote Drive-in commenting on a North Texas Hood news Facebook post about the closing were less thrilled about the news.\u00a0<\/p>\n “That\u2019s just PATHETIC. Fort Worth always taking away from us,” another chimed in.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “What does another 3-acre park provide Fort Worth that Coyote Drive-In doesn’t already provide\u2014and what are we losing by removing one of the few truly unique, locally established entertainment destinations in the area?” another resident upset with the decision wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the closure of the Coyote, there are approximately 14 drive-in theaters left in Texas. Sixty years ago, there were hundreds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Drive-in theaters used to be abundant in Texas<\/p>\n Drive-in movie theaters used to be a cultural fixture across the country, with more than 4,000 of the car-centric film venues operating at the phenomenon’s apex in the late ’50s. In Texas, there were more than 400 drive-in theaters at that time.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The rise of drive-in theaters went hand in hand with suburban growth and car culture that pervaded American life at the time. They were affordable family entertainment with private spaces provided by the customer, yet in a way still brought the community together.\u00a0<\/p>\n Drive-in theaters are nostalgic and have long been romanticized in pop culture. Drive-ins are where first dates and first kisses took place, and where horror movie monsters beset unsuspecting moviegoers. Although they still exist in a massively reduced capacity, they are symbols of a bygone era of Americana.<\/p>\n Currently, there are around 230 drive-in theaters left nationwide<\/a>, a far cry from the theaters’ peak era. Texas, one of the lucky states to still have just a handful left, has around 14 or so drive-in theaters still kicking, with the Coyote’s closure. Houston has one in the Moonstruck Drive-In in the Second Ward that is still operating.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the closure of the Coyote Drive-in theater in Fort Worth, there are approximately 14 drive-in theaters left in Texas. Sixty years ago, there were hundreds.\u00a0<\/p>\n shaunl\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Why did drive-in movie theaters die?<\/p>\n There are a few reasons why the once inescapable pastime has all but faded away. Mainly:\u00a0 the way people watched movies changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Malls (which are similarly endangered) played a part in the death of drive-ins. By the time the car-centric era that made them popular came to an end, the mall-centric culture of the 1980s made the place to see movies a giant commercial property with stores, a food court, air conditioning and protection from the elements.\u00a0<\/p>\n Drive-ins went hand-in-hand with suburban expansion, but they used a ton of land to operate, meaning that when something needed to be built, or when more important community needs were introduced, drive-ins were an easy casualty.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smart, funny and sometimes unhinged look at the week that was.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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