under the stars. But Denver may soon receive a blast from the past just in time for the Hollywood blockbuster season.
Bucking a national trend, a metro Denver business owner plans to unveil a new drive-in theater this spring.
According to the Denver Post, Denver Mart CEO and co-owner John Doyle is working to build a 300,000-square-foot theater space in the pavilion parking lot on the northwest portion of the complex. The 28-acre Denver Mart is located at 451 E. 58th Avenue in southwest Adams County.
Doyle says the theater will have state-of-the-art technology:
"We're using the highest grade Christie projector, which will probably give you four to five times the visual intensity that you get from 35 millimeter projectors that are out there," Doyle said. "And it's one of the largest screens out there."
The steel and aluminum screen will stretch approximately 40 feet tall and 92 feet wide. Doyle has designated 440 spaces for viewing at the private development.
According to the websites Carload and drive-ins.com, seven drive-in theaters remain open in Colorado. The closest one to Denver is the 88 Drive-In Theatre in Commerce City.
“The most important ingredient to a drive-in is community support,” Michael Kilgore, who runs Carload, told Colorado Public Radio in 2002. Five years ago, he reported 10 drive-ins open in the state.
