{"id":432955,"date":"2026-09-11T16:21:05","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T16:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/432955\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T16:21:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T16:21:05","slug":"roll-credits-800-cars-drive-in-to-say-goodbye-to-fort-worths-coyote-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/432955\/","title":{"rendered":"Roll credits: 800 cars drive in to say goodbye to Fort Worth\u2019s Coyote theater"},"content":{"rendered":"

by David Moreno, Fort Worth Report
September 8, 2026<\/p>\n

Ercilia Galloway remembers her husband, Drew, making her dream date a reality when he took her to watch a movie under the stars at Coyote Drive-In for the first time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They laid in the bed of a pickup truck, giggled with each other and had a really fun time watching the film, she recalled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the next 10 years, the couple made regular visits to the Fort Worth theater \u2014 most recently with their 3-month-old baby along for the ride.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Labor Day, the Galloways\u2019 tradition came to an end.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coyote Drive-In held its final movie screenings<\/a> after 14 years as the theater\u2019s lease with the Tarrant Regional Water District concluded. Roughly 800 cars filled the 18-acre theater for final showings of \u201cCoyote vs. Acme,\u201d \u201cCars: 20th Anniversary,\u201d \u201cSpider-Man: Brand New Day,\u201d and \u201cThe End of Oak Street.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to figure out where we\u2019re gonna go and how we\u2019re gonna do movies after this,\u201d Ercilia said.<\/p>\n

\"\"General manager Chris Fortune, left, and president Glenn Solomon pose with the Coyote Drive-In sign during the theater\u2019s last day open on Sept. 7, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
\n\"\"Attendees sit atop a truck as they wait for a movie to begin at the Coyote Drive-In during its last day open on Sept. 7, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

The outdoor theater was located on the future Panther Island project, which is slated to begin construction<\/a> on two new canals and a 3-acre park this fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

General manager Chris Fortune said the closure leaves \u201ca giant hole\u201d for Fort Worth moviegoers. The theater also hosted weddings, concerts and graduations during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last two weeks you\u2019ve seen everybody try to get their last drive-in experience,\u201d he said in reference to the closure announcement made mid-August. \u201cI wish we had more time to let them make those memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coyote Drive-In president Glenn Solomon confirmed that he is exploring other locations for the outdoor theater but didn\u2019t elaborate.<\/p>\n

Teens prep for final shift<\/p>\n

Coyote Drive-In\u2019s final day started like any other normal day with employees arriving at 4 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The teenage concession stand workers started assembling popcorn boxes and lining them up on the counters. Some prepped food \u2014 hot dogs, burgers and corndogs \u2014 while others filled the fountain drink machine with ice. Sweat dripped from most of their foreheads as the summer heat had not proven kind.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shift lead Tristan Batey, 19, made his rounds as he assigned roles to ensure everything was ready to go when the gates opened at 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

\nWorkers behind the counter of Coyote Drive-In serve movie goers popcorn, snacks and drinks before movies begin on the final night, Sept. 7, 2026. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)\n<\/p>\n

\"\"Coyote Drive-In employees Nathan Fuentes, 25, left, and Abigail Ward, 19, open the outdoor theater\u2019s gates one last time on Sept. 7, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Batey described his final shift as bittersweet and expressed frustration with the Panther Island development taking over the lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFort Worth has been getting more and more boring every year. So much new stuff is coming, but it only lasts like three years, and then it\u2019s gone,\u201d he said. \u201cBut this place has held that bulwark. It\u2019s unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

Batey said he\u2019ll miss the open environment the movie theater provided whenever his friends or family needed a summer avenue for hanging out.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some people it might be a little hard to see (drive-ins) as anything less than a novelty, but there\u2019s so much more to it,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you go to a regular theater you\u2019re expected to be quiet. But at a drive-in, you get your own bubble.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many Fort Worth residents agreed with that sentiment. Lines of vehicles raced in to claim their spots at one of the four screens as soon as the gates opened. People rushed to the concession stands to buy their favorite snacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The teens didn\u2019t get much of a break for the rest of the night.<\/p>\n

\"(MariaFour red projection booths sit at the back of each viewing area at Coyote Drive-In to show movies on the big screen at night. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

\"(MariaRows of cars line the Coyote Drive-In for one of their final showings, \u201cCoyote vs. Acme,\u201d on their final evening, Sept. 7, 2026. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

Families say their goodbyes<\/p>\n

Mallory Qualls unfolded lawn chairs as two of her children played on the field \u2014 the Fort Worth skyline behind them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her family had arrived an hour before the \u201cCoyote vs. Acme\u201d screening to claim a front row spot for their final drive-in outing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Quallses had been regular Coyote visitors and were upset when they heard about the closure on social media, Mallory said. It only felt appropriate to say goodbye with a movie starring a coyote, she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though we\u2019ve got to take the kids back to school tomorrow, we\u2019re happy to be here to close out this saga, era of our lives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At the nearby \u201cCars\u201d screen, engaged couple Blake Taylor and Tuesday Kissinger reminisced about their first date and engagement photos session at Coyote Drive-In. The outdoor theater will always be a sentimental place in their hearts, Kissinger said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just felt very full circle for us,\u201d she said. \u201c(Coyote) is so important to us and our story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DdCtOPlpRHw\/\n<\/p>\n

The last howl<\/p>\n

Moviegoers began to clear the premises as midnight neared. The drive-in became quiet, a stark reflection of the bustling venue hours before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the teenagers closed down concessions, Fortune brought out dozens of movie posters for his employees to take home as souvenirs. Staff swarmed the rolls to get their picks from \u201cKlara and the Sun\u201d to \u201cPractical Magic 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

One employee unfolded his \u201cCoyote vs. Acme\u201d poster and asked each of his co-workers to sign it \u2014 reminiscent of the last day of school when classmates would rush to sign each other\u2019s yearbooks. The teenagers spent those final moments laughing and cracking jokes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fortune and assistant general manager Brian Smith were the last on the property by the end of the long night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There was only one task left on their list.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They made their way off the property and locked the gates, letting Fort Worth know the coyote had let out its last howl.<\/p>\n

\"\"Tristan Batey signs his co-worker\u2019s \u201cCoyote vs. Acme\u201d poster at the end of their shift on Sept. 8, 2026. Staff finished closing past midnight. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Fort Worth Report\u2019s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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