Iconic 88 Drive-In Theater In Colorado To Permanently Close After 50 Years

People in Colorado are still in shock over the news that this staple in our community for over 50 years, one of Colorado's last remaining drive-in theaters, will be closing down for good in 2023. They've now confirmed the news that we broke here last month.

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Popular Colorado Drive-In Theater To Close

Ever heard the saying, "All good things must come to an end?" It seems to get truer and truer as we grow up, right? It feels like as we grow up, we're constantly saying goodbye to not just family, pets, cars, etc., but to places, we grew up going to, eating at, shopping at, and making memories at. One major Colorado staple is closing for good, and the fans of this beloved and historic drive-in theater are pretty upset.

When was the last time you went to a drive-in movie theater? With the exception of this year, with all of the crazy rain, my family and I usually go about two to three times a summer, and we always have the best time. Backing in the truck, filling up the bed with pillows and blankets, and enjoying a flick on one of those monster screens while underneath the beautiful Colorado night skies. One particular drive-in that I've gone to since I was a kid is closing down and building a multi-tenant warehouse building on the land where the theatre currently sits.

88 Drive-In Located In Commerce City, Colorado, To Close

A few weeks back, my sister-in-law posted this note from the City Government of Commerce City's Facebook page discussing a recent planning meeting that had folks buzzing about the future of the famous 88 Drive-In's future. In the post, they informed us that:

The owners of the 88 Drive-In Theater have chosen to step away from their business and go in a different direction for the future of that property. The decision to close the theater was not made by the city, and Commerce City has not asked or encouraged the drive-in to close its operation. The property owners are requesting a zoning change to allow a multi-tenant warehouse building to take the place of the theater. The public hearing on Monday’s agenda (case number Z-977-23) is to determine whether that use aligns with the Land Development Code and meets the associated criteria. The discussion is not to decide whether or not the drive-in theater should stay, as that is the decisions of the owners/operators.

Here's the full post below...

The 88 Drive-In has yet to make a full statement regarding the closure, but they have publically confirmed the closing in the comments of their Facebook page in many posts like this one.

Full post below...

The guess among the community is that they finish the summer, but they haven't added a new feature film since June 16th, when they began showing Flash, so maybe it's coming sooner than fans of the old 88 are predicting.

The drive-in industry is a tough one based on costs for the films alone, and over the years, the old 88 has been pretty clear about rising operating costs etc. in recent years. While we understand that things change and the struggle to operate this type of business is harder and more expensive than ever, we're incredibly sad at this news as we absolutely loved their drive-in and will miss it greatly. Thank you, 88 Drive-In, for decades of memories; you will be missed.