Ford-Wyoming Drive-In is a drive-in theater located in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1950, it features five screens. The property previously had nine, leading it to be declared the largest drive-in theater in the world.
History
Clark Enterprises built the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In in 1950. The theater opened for business on May 19 of that year, with Road to Rio as its first feature.[1] Upon opening, the drive-in had the capacity for 750 cars.[2]
Wayne Amusements purchased the drive-in in 1981 and expanded it by continuing to add screens.[3] At its peak, the Ford-Wyoming had nine screens and a capacity of over 3,000 cars, leading it to become the largest drive-in theater in the world.[1][2]
In 2006, the owners sold the land on which the sixth through ninth screens were located.[4] This decision was made due to a decline in population of the Detroit area.[5] The five screens have remained operational since this downsizing.[5] This has reduced the overall capacity to 2,500 cars. It is one of nine remaining drive-in theaters in the state of Michigan, and the only one in Metro Detroit.[6] As of 2019, the theater is owned by Charles Shafer.[5]
