29/09/2026
THIS MONTH IN MONETTA DRIVE-IN HISTORY
Two seasonal events happen each September at the drive-in: 1) summer temps begin to cool and 2) the sun sets earlier, which allows earlier start times. Kids also go back to school and attendance starts to fall along with the leaves.
September of 1986 was particularly poignant for the Monetta Drive-In. The 1980s were not a good decade for outdoor venues. Video stores were opening. Cable movies were becoming more common. The Justice Department was aggressively cracking down public screenings of X-***ed movies. Disney and Pixar animated titles were still years in the future. Attendance was suffering. Taxes were increasing. Original owners were aging and dying off. It is unsurprising that so many drive-ins in the 80s became development property that morphed into malls, box stores, and housing subdivisions.
After a decade and a half of decline, the lease was not renewed in 1986 for the operator of the Monetta Drive-In. On September 19-21, "Armed and Dangerous", starring John Candy, plus an unknown "second feature" screened in Monetta. An employee recounted with sadness the posting of the last marquee message - "Closed for Vacation". The final Twin City News ad from September 25th stated "We Will Be Closed For 3 Weeks For Vacation!"
The three-week vacation turned into a 12 1/2 year hiatus. Tall trees grew on the field. The box office roof collapsed. More screen tower panels blew out with each storm. The final message had been burned onto the face of the deteriorating marquee. The drive-in had turned into a empty husk of its former glory.
The "vacation" finally ended in March of 1998. Repair work started. One year later, on March 26, 1999, the Big MO Phoenix rose from the Monetta Drive-In's ashes to entertain future generations of drive-in moviegoers.
And it all started with a three-week vacation ....
Other memorable September Monetta Drive-In moments include:
September 1956 - The ninth month of '56 was a very bad one cinematically for Japan at the Monetta Drive-In. Doolittle's Raiders launched an air assault on the island in "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (September 3-4). Three weeks later a radioactive reptile decimated Japan's largest city in "Godzilla: King of the Monsters!" (September 26-27).
September 1, 1963 - Bond, James Bond, made his debut at the drive-in in "Dr. No".
September 1-3, 1978 - A long time ago in a drive-in not so far, far away, "Star Wars" premiered in Monetta.
September 3-4 & 6, 1999 - At the First Annual Horrorthon, the precursor to the Labor Day Weekend Triple Feature Extravaganza!!!™, "Scream" made a small impression and a very big one. The third feature got cancelled on Friday due to a projector malfunction. On Saturday, it helped "The Haunting" and "The Blair Witch Project" draw a then-record 221 cars. The drive-in was closed on Sunday. The make-up date for the lost show was Monday. "Scream" was the odd feature out in a Labor Day double feature show.
September 15-17, 2000 - In the early single-screen years of The Big MO, creativity was a must with film booking. All demographics had to be catered to. Sometimes, a family movie would be followed by a feature with more adult appeal. We often referred to this strategy as "Train Wreck Booking". Perhaps the best example of this approach actually featured a train: "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" followed by "Coyote Ugly".
September 26, 2013 - The transition to digital projection was challenging and expensive for drive-ins. Honda's Project Drive-In Contest attempted to help with a nationwide vote to select nine ozoners for a digital conversion. The Big MO was fortunate enough to have plenty of enthusiastic supporters and finished in the winners circle. As a reward for our wonderful customers, we were allowed to screen a free premiere of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2".
September 27-29, 2024 - Hurricane Helene hits South Carolina and knocks out power to the drive-in for the first of two weekends.
The full weekend line-up will be announced on Tuesday.
For more information and FAQs, see our website.
We're always interested in hiring hard workers.
