When did Sacramento drive-in movie theater open? Take a look back at the ‘go-to spot’

Right off Highway 50 at Bradshaw Road, Sacramento-area residents can get a slice of Americana at the West Wind drive-in theater.

Despite decades of reports bemoaning the death of drive-ins, the Sacramento 6 has hung on for more than 50 years — surviving the COVID-19 pandemic and a damaging fire just two years ago.

The theater at 9616 Oates Drive is the last and only drive-in style movie experience in the region, and one of the very few that still exist in California.

Here’s a look back in time:

When did Sacramento drive-in open?

Sacramento 6 — named for its six screens that can be seen from the freeway near Rancho Cordova — opened its gates to the public in June 1973, a representative at Syufy, the company that originally owned the drive-in, confirmed.

Few stories exist in The Sacramento Bee archives about the theater’s opening — at the time, drive-ins were everywhere — but a Feb. 21, 1973, article chronicles the county’s approval for the site, which originally had just five screens.

The Bee reported at the time that Syufy, which also owned Century 21 and 22, would be building in the same area as a new ice rink and restaurant.

Plans for the location included 70 acres of industrial tract and a total of 2,000 parking spaces, according to The Bee’s archives.

Sacramento drive-in theaters that didn’t make it

Sacramento has been home to several drive-in theaters, according to Cinema Treasures, an online theater guide working to preserve movie history.

Below is a list of some of Sacramento’s drive-in theaters that once existed in the area, according to Cinema Treasures, but have since been demolished.

• Forty Niner 6 drive-in, 4450 Marysville Blvd. in northeast Sacramento County, opened as a single screen on June 29, 1950 under the name Bell Drive-in.
• Sky View Drive-in, 3100 47th Ave. just south of Lemon Hill, opened on Sept. 14, 1950.
• Starlite Drive-in, 2200 Harvard St. near Arden Fair, opened on Sept. 15, 1950. This lot is now a Hilton Sacramento Arden West.
• Southgate Auto Movies, 7700 Stockton Blvd., off Highway 99 in the Parkway neighborhood, opened on Sept. 4, 1964.
• Highlander Drive-in, 4331 Antelope Road in Antelope, opened on April 13, 1961. This lot is now a Walgreens.
• Mather Auto Movie, 10041 Folsom Blvd. near Rancho Cordova, opened on Sept. 11, 1959.

The concept of the drive-in came to the United States in 1933, according to West Wind, the current owner of Sacramento 6.

The experience “only truly took off with the advent of in-car speakers in the 1940s,” the company said on its website.

Visiting Sacramento’s only drive-in theater

Sacramento 6 offers the latest movie showings at an affordable price, The Bee previously reported.

The drive-in theater has six screens and is open seven days a week, with the final movie showing of the day at 10:45 p.m.

General admission tickets for adults cost $9. Kids ages 2 to 11 are $4 apiece.

On Tuesday, the theater offers a family fun day promotion, where tickets are discounted.

Yelp users — 770 of them — rated the drive-in an average of 3.7 stars.

“Not much has changed” in the decades the drive-in has been open, said reviewer Lisa K. of Carmichael, who has been going to Sacramento 6 for more than 40 years.

Reviewer Lucas A. of West Sacramento wrote that “I’m so glad to have a drive-in theater so close to home when there are so few left in operation.”

“I have memories of visiting this drive-in theater as a kid and in college and am glad that West Wind Drive-In is still up and running. After moving back to the area and a global pandemic, this has become my go-to spot for safe and socially distant movie going!”

Jessica M. of Stockton said “I’ve been here quite a bit and we’ve always had a great time.”

“Me and my wife absolutely love the drive-in,” Darryl L. of Elk Grove wrote, noting they’ve been going there since “we were kids.”

Which movies are showing at Sacramento drive-in now?

As of Friday, the drive-in was showing the following films:

• “Bad Boys: Ride or Die”
• “The Garfield Movie”
• “Inside Out 2”
• “IF”
• “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
• “The Watchers”

Movies advertised as “coming soon” included “The Exorcism,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Horizon: An American Saga.”

This story was originally published March 21, 2024 at 5:00 AM.