Culver City, CA - Here is the Studio Drive-in Theater located in Culver City, CA. The Studio opened for shows in 1948 and satisfied open air movie-goers for until it closed in 1993. The drive-in theater was located at the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard at 5250 Sepulveda Boulevard and was a single-screener. This ozoner was located close to the nearby MGM Studios. 11-20

Studio Drive-in Screen Tower
Culver City, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Check out the enormous screen tower at the Studio Drive-In Theater in Culver City. Facing Sepulveda Boulevard, its broad exterior and flowing neon lettering gave passing motorists something to admire before the evening’s movies began. There wasn’t much chance of overlooking a picture show with an introduction this size.

The theatre opened on August 26, 1948, with Romance on the High Seas and Up in Central Park. With room for roughly a thousand cars, the single-screen drive-in brought outdoor moviegoing to a neighborhood already closely connected to the movie business. MGM and Culver Studios were nearby, making the Studio name seem right at home.

The Studio Drive-in is famous for being in several movies including the iconic movie Grease that starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John back in the late 1970s.

Studio Drive-in Screen Tower
Culver City, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Pacific Theatres took over in 1952, and the drive-in became a familiar destination for generations of local moviegoers. Families could bring the kids, couples could settle into the front seat, and everyone could hope the car ahead wasn’t quite tall enough to interrupt the view.

The screen tower was the big roadside attraction. Its immense surface rose above the grounds, while the script “Studio Drive-In” lettering advertised the theatre to traffic outside. During the day, the structure marked the corner. After dark, the neon gave it another chance to show off.

Studio Drive-in Ticket Booth
Culver City, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Inside the gates, the evening followed a familiar routine. Find a parking spot, get comfortable, and make a concession-stand trip before the feature started. The surroundings were part of the experience, with the night sky above and a whole parking lot sharing the same entertainment.

The Studio also made appearances on the other side of the camera. It was used in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and La Bamba, giving the local landmark an audience beyond the customers parked beneath its screen. A theatre this close to Hollywood apparently couldn’t avoid getting into the pictures itself.

Regular operations ended in September 1993. A later independent effort briefly brought classic films back to the grounds using traditional carbon-arc projection equipment, but the revival didn’t last. The property eventually fell silent, leaving the giant tower standing over a place that no longer had a nightly show.

The Studio was demolished in September of 1998. The Studio screen was quite a site from the busy boulevard nearby and fans were nostalgic as they watched the 80x100 screen tower collapse into a mound of metal and wood. The site is now residential homes and a park.

Studio Projection Booth
Culver City, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Demolition arrived in September 1998. On September 21, the screen tower came down, removing the most recognizable piece of the old theatre. For motorists accustomed to seeing it along Sepulveda, the empty skyline must have taken some getting used to.

Homes and a neighborhood park replaced the drive-in grounds. The photograph preserves that earlier roadside view, when an enormous screen and a few glowing words could promise a whole evening’s entertainment.

UPDATE: The Studio Drive-In Theater was demolished in September 1998, including its landmark screen tower and neon lettering. The former property at 5250 Sepulveda Boulevard was redeveloped as the Studio Village residential neighborhood and park. 10-26

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The Ticket Booth Culver City, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Playground Culver City, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

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