Drive-In

50sSNIPES on January 23, 2025 at 7:37 pm

Here’s the real true story on how Britain attempted to build its first drive-in theater:

Throughout much of January and February 1964, plans were announced by Mr. Billy Butlin, Mr. Cecil King, and ABC Cinemas for a family entertainment center on an 800-acre site in the east part of Stanley Park located in Blackpool, claiming that the joint project will be the most comprehensive of its kind in Europe at the time. The plan was later purposed, and more drive-ins including ones in Gloucester and Tollerton were also planned both by ABC themselves.

This includes the first drive-in theater in the United Kingdom with room for a capacity of 1,000 cars and a holiday camp nearby for 8,000 people. Some other addictions to the project include a zoo, a golf course, an exhibition hall, and parking spaces for 12,000 vehicles as well as a horse racing track. Special additions to the planned theater include a bandstand, restaurants, several snack bars, beer gardens, and an arts and crafts studio. The screen will be a vast CinemaScope screen measuring 120ft long that will be functioned with most climatic difficulties except both heavy snow or fog.

Unfortunately all of those plans ABC mentioned were immediately halted and were completely dropped a few years later.