I-70 Drive-In

8701 East Highway 40,
Kansas City, MO 64129

1200 cars

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Showing 17 comments

rivest266
rivest266 on October 16, 2020 at 2:46 pm

Reopened with 4 screens on March 29th, 1991. Grand opening ad posted.

Tp
Tp on June 5, 2020 at 6:32 pm

September5,2018 The I-70 closed and at the time I thought like lot of other people it was for good. I even said it was dead and buried. The projectors all 4 were taken out who knows what had happen to all 4. 3 of the screens are now up in valley Nebraska. At new DRIVE IN called Quasar Drive In Theater. What remains the big main screen. The old ticket booths and concession stand still remains. The sign is still there most people call it the marque. Do to recent events I am now upgrading it from dead and buried to now where it is on LIFE SUPPORT HERE IS WHY. 1. COVID 19 THE CHINESE VIRUS I AM SEE ON NEWS CHANNELS HOW INDOOR THEATERS ARE RENTING THESE INFLATABLE SCREENS AND HAVING SHOWS OUTSIDE. 2. AMC THEATERS JUST SAID TODAY THEY HAVE LOST OVER 2 BILLION AND MAY NOT SURVIVE THE SOCIAL DISTANCING. NOW I GREWUP IN ST JOSEPH MO THEY HAD UPTO 2 DRIVE IN THEATERS UP THERE AND IM SURE THEY HAD A LOT MORE DRIVE IN THEATERS IN OTHER STATES I BET NOW AMC THEATERS MANAGEMENT WISH THEY HAD KEPT ALL THESE DRIVE IN THEATERS NOW. JUST LAST WEEK I WENT TO THE TWIN DRIVE IN THEATER THEY WERE ONLY CHARGING 20 A CAR LOAD GOT MY TICKETS EARLY ON LINE THAT DAY. THEY WERE PACKED TO THE MAX AND EVEN TURNING PEOPLE AWAY WHO HAD NO TICKETS. 3.I FOUND OUT THAT NIGHT THAT YELLOW FREIGHT DID NOT BY THE LAND. IF THE CURRENT OWNER WHO EVER IT IS WILLING TO SALE THE LAND I COULD SEE SOMEONE BRING THE I-70 DRIVE IN BACK TO LIFE LETS HOPE THIS HAPPENS

Tp
Tp on December 8, 2018 at 1:39 am

The new Drive In up in Nebraska where 3 of the screens will be in use for 2019 Is called Quasar Drive In its on Facebook

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on October 25, 2018 at 6:20 am

Opened with “Robin and the 7 hoods”, and “The Increbible Mr Limpet” and “Tall story”. Screens 2, 3 and 4 opened in 1991. Playground removed in 1991. Digital projection opened on all 4 screens in 2014.

Tp
Tp on October 24, 2018 at 11:27 am

3 of the screens have been removed and now are on there way upto Omaha who will be getting a new Drive In Theater

Tp
Tp on September 15, 2018 at 12:44 pm
  1. What I have found out was the owners were wanting 50 grand a year, to keep the Drive In there. 2.Yellow freight bought the land and will soon be parking there trucks there 3.If you drive by on I -70 you can see that yellow freight has completely surrounded the Drive-In so this comes as no big surprise to me
  2. I drove by there today 9-15-2018 about 1pm the car speakers are all removed from the poles.
  3. Ticket booths still there
  4. Concession stand still there
  5. All 4 screens still there
  6. BB Theaters didn’t own the land
  7. Somebody from Omaha Nebraska bought 3 screens and car speakers and will be opening a new Drive In Theater in 2019 in the Omaha Nebraska Area so you can say you heard it here first
  8. I remember driving buy the Drive In back in May2018 I remember seeing the I-70 Marque sign gone and the arch at time I thought it was damaged and under going repairs but as the summer kept going these were never put back up now we know the real reason as to why.
  9. BB Theaters don’t own the land that the Twin Drive In is own but I really don’t think anyone wants to buy that land
  10. That the Midway Drive In Asawatomie Kansas is closed and for sale for about 200 grand 13 That another Drive In is being built in Kentucky and Canada besides the one in Omaha Nebraska
Tp
Tp on September 15, 2018 at 12:21 pm

Say its not so. The I-70 now becomes the 19th out of 21 Drive -Ins in Kansas City Metro area to close and the largest in KC and within the Midwest.

terrywade
terrywade on September 10, 2018 at 8:53 am

You would think the people that lease the land would have had a closing week big movie event party to send the 1 70 off! Not so they just closed the place and the bulldozers will be coming in.

Drive-In 54
Drive-In 54 on September 5, 2018 at 3:14 pm

I-70 Drive-In is closed for good!!

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on April 14, 2017 at 1:40 pm

When did the I-70 split from one screen to four? It had to be before summer 1992, because that’s when I saw A League of Their Own there (in the rain). The 1988 IMPA still listed it as one screen, for what that’s worth.

rivest266
rivest266 on July 30, 2015 at 9:53 am

July 22nd, 1964 grand opening ad in photo section.

sunflower62
sunflower62 on May 28, 2014 at 1:51 am

There was an excellent article by Steve Everly in the Kansas City Star on Saturday May 24, 2014 about the I-70 and Twin Drive-In theaters. The article starts on the front page and continues on A12. It talks about B&B Theaters taking over the operation of the drive-ins, and that the switch to digital projection has been completed. Movie screens were repainted, and restrooms and the concession stand were upgraded. The seasonal grand opening was May 23.

bbrown1
bbrown1 on March 27, 2014 at 5:30 pm

Good news for the I-70 Drive-In! After some concern that Globe Cinemas would not be able to convert to digital, it has reopened this year under the operation of B&B Theatres, who have installed digital projection for all 4 screens. B&B will also operate the Globe’s Twin Drive-In in Independence, where they are also installing digital projection. Hats off to a movie chain making the effort to keep drive-ins open. B&B also operates the Moberly Five and Drive, a combination of 5 indoor screens and one drive-in screen in Moberly MO.

Don Lewis
Don Lewis on September 1, 2008 at 9:50 pm

A 2007 view of the Kansas City I-70 Drive In Theater entrance, sign and marquee here and the sign here. A close up of the sign here.

karlyjm
karlyjm on February 6, 2008 at 8:42 pm

The chain/owner of the drive-in is Smith Management Globe Cinemas. A actual owner of the company works as the general manager there when it is opened and his wife runs the concession stand!