Apache Drive-in Theatre (Closed)
Globe, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Apache Drive-in Theatre of Globe, Arizona is an example of the recent fate of drive-in theaters throughout the country. Seemingly in decent shape, weeds on lot notwithstanding, the Apache sports its proud single-screen right next to the major highway.

For more, see Roadside Peek's Lost Treasures Feature on the Apache Drive-in Theatre.

Apache Drive-in Marquee (Demolished)
Tucson, AZ
Photo courtesy George Cohn

The Apache Drive-in Theatre was one of the last of the many Tucson Drive-ins to close down. Starting off as a single-screener, it was made into a triple in 1977. One of the screens was then torn down in 1991 and the drive-in itself closed in 1994. The property now belongs to the sheriffs department and they recently built a huge records center on the former Apache site off of Benson Highway. Many thanks to George Cohn for info.

Originally built as a massive, 1,200-car single-screen desert "ozoner," the Apache quickly became a beloved fixture for carloads of moviegoers cruising down the Benson Highway. In its early days, the venue earned legendary status for its high-energy promotional stunts and windshield flyers, famously packing the ramps with its late-night "6 Features for $1.00" carload deals, complete with half-price concession specials and free coffee and donuts into the early morning hours.

To keep pace with the outdoor multiplex craze of the era, the complex was systematically expanded into a three-screen venue by 1977. However, changing industry trends and rising maintenance costs eventually led to downscaling, and one of the auxiliary screens was torn down in 1991. The Apache continued to welcome audiences until permanently turning off its projectors and closing its ticket booths in 1994, bringing an end to 39 years of open-air entertainment.

Apache Drive-in (Demolished)
Tucson, AZ
Photo courtesy George Cohn

The screen towers, concession buildings, and projection booths were fully cleared and leveled the following year in 1995. The property was subsequently acquired for municipal use, with the Pima County Sheriff's Department constructing a large administrative records center directly on the former drive-in site.

UPDATE: Today, the original screen towers, ramps, and classic roadside neon marquees along Benson Highway are completely gone, replaced by the county public safety and records complex. While the property now serves local government needs, fond memories of all-night marathon screenings, honking horns, and starlit movie nights keep the legacy of Tucson's Apache Drive-in alive in local roadside history. 08-26

Parker Drive-in Theatre (Gone)
Parker, AZ
Photo courtesy Rob Svirskas

Check out these shots of the Parker Drive-In in Parker, Arizona. Located at 2012 S. Joshua Avenue near the corner of West 21st Street, this lost desert "ozoner" served as a primary entertainment hub for moviegoers across the Colorado River Valley for decades. The drive-in appears to have been closed down for quite some time, with the photos capturing the eerie, fascinating state of its abandoned grounds—including missing panels on the weathered screen tower, the overgrown entry drive, and the bare concrete slab foundation where the central projection booth once stood.

Historical industry records trace the theater's operations back through the early post-war drive-in boom under original owner C. Corneal, before it was purchased in June 1965 by a theater syndicate that included prominent film producer and cinema operator Robert L. Lippert, E. Van Gortel, and the Indio Company (who also ran California drive-ins such as the Aladdin, Desert, and Indio). For years, local families, river recreationists, and winter visitors packed the dirt ramps to catch first-run double bills under the starry desert sky.

Close-up of the screen tower (Gone)
Parker, AZ
Photo courtesy Rob Svirskas

As the drive-in era waned, the Parker Drive-In permanently shut off its projectors by 1986. For years afterward, the site stood frozen in time as a haunting roadside ruin, with its skeletal screen frame and stripped foundation weathering under the relentless sun of western Arizona.

UPDATE: Today, the lingering remnants of the Parker Drive-In have been completely removed. The damaged wood-and-iron screen tower skeleton was torn down and the lot leveled, leaving a flat, vacant desert parcel alongside neighboring residential and commercial developments. 08-26

Here are more photos of the Parker Drive-in Theatre