Lauren McChesney got more than admission to a double feature when she handed her ticket to Matt McClanahan at a different drive-in he managed in 2018. They started dating a year later, and, in August, got engaged. In between, they purchased Shankweiler\u2019s Drive-In Theatre, which was Pennsylvania\u2019s first drive-in and only the nation\u2019s second when it opened in 1934.<\/p>\n
The couple began brainstorming about drive-ins during a cross-country road trip that included stops at both operational and abandoned theaters. Their original goal was to open a new drive-in, but when they learned Shankweiler\u2019s might get sold to developers, \u201cthe light bulb went off,\u201d McClanahan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are we spending so much time trying to build one when there\u2019s one literally down the road from our house that\u2019s for sale and is like the most important drive-in?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The drive-in movie theater industry began in Camden, New Jersey, in 1933 and peaked in the late 1950s, with more than 4,000 drive-ins, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association. The numbers dropped rapidly in the 1970s and 80s as other entertainment options increased, along with land values that made selling for redevelopment attractive. Though popular during the pandemic, by 2024, there were only 283 left, according to the association.<\/p>\n
McClanahan, 35, who grew up going to Shankweiler\u2019s, had managed another drive-in and started a mobile movie business during the coronavirus pandemic. In contrast, McChesney, 41, had never been to a drive-in before 2018, and she left a stable corporate job in the health care industry to take on this new venture. Buying Shankweiler\u2019s was a risk for both of them \u2014 they pooled their savings and secured a $1 million loan to buy the drive-in in 2022 \u2014 but one they say has paid off.<\/p>\n
Lauren McChesney via AP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis was an undertaking that was leaps and bounds bigger than anything I\u2019d ever done in my life, in terms of investment, monthly expenses, and debt,\u201d McClanahan said. \u201cIt still feels surreal when I think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n They\u2019ve built a successful business with the help of strong summer attendance, the occasional big-name film like \u201cWicked,\u201d and special events like Valentine\u2019s Day \u201cdate night\u201d screenings of \u201cThe Notebook.\u201d The drive-in is open seven days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and Thursdays through Sundays the rest of the year. Tickets are $9 for children and $13 for adults.<\/p>\n Ken Querio, 52, of Kutztown, Pennsylvania, has been going to Shankweiler\u2019s since he was a teenager. He made a point to seek out the owners before a recent viewing of \u201cJaws.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI actually thanked them,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to have an old-school, an old venue like this still going.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson Shankweiler, a prominent hotel owner and movie buff, opened what was then called Shankweiler\u2019s Park-In Theatre on April 15, 1934. McClanahan and McChesney are its fourth owners.<\/p>\n McChesney said the success of the business played a role in the timing of their engagement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew we\u2019d eventually get married, but we kept doing other things instead, like starting businesses and buying movie theaters,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Fortune Global Forum<\/strong> returns Oct. 26\u201327, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business. Apply for an invitation.<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/img-assets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25248726074050-e1757170158424.jpg?w=1440&q=85\")
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