To keep the guests from parking along the busy highway, theater staff began selling tickets early, $5 for adults and children 11 and younger free. One-by-one the vehicles made it up the gravel path and moviegoers staked out parking places in front of the big screen.

Knowing the movie wouldn’t start until at least 9 p.m., theater patrons set up camps in front of their vehicles. Some sat on blankets on the ground, while others eased into folding lawn chairs. The adults chatted among themselves, while children tossed balls to one another and ran about in the slowly cooling air.

“We like to come early so the kids can come out and play before” the movie starts, said Diana Desper, 45, of Staunton, Va. “It’s a family atmosphere.”

Nation’s Only Nonprofit Drive-In

The picnic scene was like a flashback to the ‘50s, when more than 4,000 drive-in theaters dotted the American landscape. These days, only about 400 such theaters exist throughout the nation as many have gone under due to low profitability – a fate that almost took down Hull’s.

Drive-in fans line up early to get a good spot at Hull's Drive-in in Lexington, Va. Although the gates don't officially open until 7:00 p.m., many carloads start to arrive at about 5:30.