Arts & Entertainment
One Of MI's Last Remaining Drive-In Theaters Permanently Closes
The owners said the closing was due to multiple reasons, including poor attendance, streaming and lack of concessions support.
MONROE COUNTY, MI — A popular and one of Michigan's last remaining drive-in theaters permanently closed down last month.
Memory Lane Drive-In, located on M-125 in Frenchtown Township, closed down for good on April 18.
The owners said the closing was due to multiple reasons, including poor attendance, streaming and lack of concessions support, which they said is key for a drive-in. The owners said those factors have contributed to 35 percent of the remaining drive-ins closures over the past 4 years.
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"Memory Lane has suffered the same fate for the same reasons," the owners said.
Before it was Memory Lane, it was the Denniston Drive-In. The Denniston Drive-In theater closed in 1985 and sat empty until it was purchased in 2017.
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In 2022, there were only 11 drive-ins still operating in Michigan, including Ford Wyoming Drive-In in Dearborn and Memory Lane in Frenchtown Township, according to the Detroit Free Press.
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