A 'drive' down memory lane: Where drive-in movie theaters in Wilmington used to be located
The drive-in movie theater is a powerful piece of American nostalgia. Even if you've never gone to a drive-in in person, you've likely seen the experience captured in a (non-drive-in) movie theater or from the comfort of your home theater on TV.
A few drive-in movie theaters around the country still exist, but in Wilmington they are a thing of the past. The drive-in made a brief resurgence during the pandemic, however, when inflatable screens popped up at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (in the Kenan Auditorium parking lot) and Cape Fear Community College (in the parking lot behind the Wilson Center).
Back in the day, however, Wilmington was home to multiple drive-in movie theaters, most of them operating between the late 1940s and early 1980s. In the late ’50s or early ’60s, there may have been as many as five drive-ins operating at one time.
Let's take a "drive" down memory lane and highlight a few.
Carolina Drive-In
The first proper drive-in theater in the Wilmington area was likely the Carolina Drive-In, which William Thrush opened on Carolina Beach Road near Monkey Junction in 1947, according to Thrush's 1997 obituary in the StarNews.
The Parkview
Sometimes spelled the "Park-Vue," probably because of its location on Oleander Drive near Floral Parkway, this theater was opened by William Thrush in 1949, according to his StarNews obituary, although the Cinema Treasures website cites a 1950 opening date.
North 17 Drive-In
This drive-in theater was on Market Street, near the current North 17 shopping center, and newspaper ads show it was operating in 1960.
Wrightsville Road Drive-In
This theater was located on Oleander Drive near the current-day Tidal Creek co-op. It was also operating in 1960.
Skyline Drive-In Theatre
Located on Carolina Beach Road across from the former Starway Flea Market, the Skyline opened in the 1950s but became notorious for showing racy and even X-rated movies in the 1970s and early '80s.
The Starway
Probably the best-known drive-in movie theater in Wilmington history, the Starway operated on the site of the former Starway Flea Market from 1952-1984. A planned reopening of the theater in 1996 was scrapped after organized opposition from residents of nearby neighborhoods led the Wilmington City Council to vote against allowing the drive-in to operate past 11 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Where were drive-in movie theaters in Wilmington, NC, located?
