White River Drive-In
2581 E. Main Street,
Batesville,
AR
72501
2581 E. Main Street,
Batesville,
AR
72501
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The White River Drive-In was located in Batesville, Arkansas, in the Northern part of the State. It was opened on July 27, 1950 with John Payne in “El Paso” and held 230 cars. It was owned by Commonwealth Theatre Co. It was closed at the end of the 1985 season. The screen was demolished in the early-1990’s, but in 2024 the projection booth still stands and the remainder of the drive-in is overgrown with trees & bushes.
Contributed by
MikeRogers
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
Thanks Chuck1231.
I saw Star Wars there in 1977. It was a nice drive in, but summer nights could be pretty brutal with the heat.
Approx. address for this drive-in was 2581 East Main Street.
It appears that the original projection booth/concession stand still sits on the property and in fairly good shape. You can see the holes for the projectors on the SW side of the building. http://tinyurl.com/hqrpsdr
A note in the July 22, 1950 issue of BoxOffice said that the White River would open on Thursday, July 27, 1950. It was run by Commonwealth.
Boxoffice, Feb. 29, 1960: “BATESVILLE, ARK. - Twisting winds which struck this community February 9 flattened the screen tower of the winter-closed White River Drive-In, Commonwealth circuit outdoor theatre. Byers Jordan, manager of the theatres here, said the White River will be fully restored and added that the target date is April 8, which has been set as opening day for the drive-in season.”
Delayed? Or for the season? Motion Picture Herald, Jan. 13, 1951: “The Commonwealth Theatre Corporation opened a new drive-in theatre at Batesville, Ark.”
Edited from my October 19, 2022 (2:54 PM) post:
The White River Drive-In closed after the 1985 season because of poor business and massive money loss. Commonwealth decided to keep the theater closed in March 1986 despite being sold to James Street in April of that same year, but had no plans on operating.
The White River Drive-In launched with “El Paso” on July 27, 1950
A June 2024 Google Street View shows the projector booth/concession stand still standing. Most of the walls have ivy covering them, but you can still see the small windows for the projectors on the SW side.
The property itself is overgrown with a few trees.