Author Archives: mrdrivein

Kanopolis gets new laser projector

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Here’s a different kind of good news. The Kanopolis Drive In Theatre had to shut down late last season when its digital projector bit the big one. But after an off-season of various fundraisers, the owners have announced on their Facebook page that they will be reopening April 3 for the 2026 season, featuring a new 4k laser projector.

I have so many reasons to love the Kanopolis. It’s a tiny drive-in in a tinier town, but its owners have spent a lot of effort and resources into making the place nice. And their Facebook page is currently my favorite drive-in page, not afraid to be quirky and fun. It’s nice to see that KWCH, Wichita’s News Leader, joined in with a report about the good news while including a video from last year that documented the original problem.

I searched for 4K laser projectors, and the ones I found look a lot less expensive than the huge digital projection that failed last year. But for the little Kanopolis, it’s probably an intelligent solution for getting going again. Congratulations!

New Laredo drive-in rolls along

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Now this is the kind of news that I enjoy sharing. The Sunset Drive-In Cinema opened in Laredo TX last September, but I just now noticed it. As reported by the Laredo Morning Times, the Sunset is the culmination of Martin and Priscilla Resendez’s dream, inspired by drive-ins they visited during trips to Central Texas.

The Sunset lot is so new it doesn’t really show up on Google Maps, and its location on Francisco Guerra Jr. Blvd. is so remote that there’s no decent Google Street View yet. But the drive-in has been showing movies at a steady pace. According to its web site, tonight’s double feature will be “Sixteen Candles” and “The Breakfast Club.” Tomorrow night brings two showings of “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.”

If you’re anywhere near Laredo, be sure to drop in and help support this great throwback to the drive-ins of old.

Shankweiler’s showing saved by shovelers

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Mark Fischbach, a YouTuber and filmmaker also known as Markiplier, came to the rescue last week for the premiere of his movie, “Iron Lung.” He put out the call to his internet followers to descend on Shankweilers Drive-In Theatre and shovel away the snow so the drive-in could play the movie as scheduled.

As reported by WFMZ, the Lehigh Valley’s News Leader, Shankweiler’s owner Matthew McClanahan was surprised to see the response on the drive-in’s Facebook page. As WFMZ’s video showed, a couple dozen shovelers, a snowblower, and a couple of pickup truck plows cleared the way for the show to go on.