Michigan Drive-In Closure: A Blow To Local Movie Lovers

A Michigan drive-in is permanently closing, leaving only eight drive-in theaters in the Great Lakes State.

Luckily, one of the few remaining theatres is in Genesee County. The US 23 Drive-In Theater in Flint opens for the season this Friday, April 25th, 2025.

As for movie lovers in Monroe, you're unfortunately losing the Memory Lane Drive-In Theater. The family-owned venue announced its closure on Friday, April 18, 2025, via Facebook.

As you can see and read in the comments section below, many people are bummed out about the closure.

Why did Memory Lane Drive-In in Monroe close?

It appears that poor attendance and a lack of concession sales are to blame. With so many streaming options available now, it's not surprising that movie theaters and drive-in theaters are no longer the popular destinations they once were.

When was the last time you went to a movie? I think one of the last movies I saw inside a theatre was the Quentin Tarantino movie 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood', and that was released in 2019.

 Where are the eight remaining drive-in theaters located in Michgian?

As mentioned above, the US-23 Drive-In in Flint is located on Fenton Road. The other theaters still operating in Michigan are as follows,

• Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theatre, Honor, Michigan
• Getty Drive-In, Muskegon, Michigan
• Capri Drive-In, Coldwater, Michigan
• Ford Wyoming Drive-In, Dearborn, Michigan
• Summer Drive-In at USA Hockey Arena, Plymouth, Michigan
• Highway 2 Community Drive-In, Manistique, Michigan
• Hi-Way Drive-In, Carsonville, Michigan

Did you know that the first ever adult drive-in theater was in Durand, Michigan? The actual name of the place was Sceen Drive-In, but was dubbed 'Durand Dirties'. For more on that piece of movie history, click here.