Dearborn, MI
Movies flickering under the stars, tykes in pajamas on a car roof, a speaker dangling through the window as Rover leaps around the back seat.

Wait a minute, what time of year is it?

Fall leaves and winter snowfalls are no problem at the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In, which bills itself as the largest drive-in theater in the world. The Dearborn venue, with 3,000 parking spots, is one of those rarest of rarities, a drive-in that stays open year-round.

Outlasting most of its peers, the Ford-Wyoming in Dearborn continues to have solid business in Metro Detroit. Up to 2,000 vehicles visit the nine screens on a busy weekend night, owner Charles Shafer said. Five of the nine screens show films year-round.

"We can stay open in the winter. We've only closed three times in 26 years," Shafer said.

And they stay open in the winter because people come. Plug-in heaters keep cars warm during cold weather, and Shafer maintains the old-fashioned speakers as well as offering radio sound for the movies.

"I enjoy the business," he said. That's what keeps Shafer, 87, up at 3 a.m., counting grosses and paying bills. His father was general manager for Fox Theatre in Detroit. And Shafer himself started as an usher before he began opening his own theaters and drive-ins throughout the state.

Screens kept adding up

Shafer bought the Ford-Wyoming in 1981 with partner Bill Clark when it offered one screen. Taking their cue from multicinemas, which were then exploding on the scene, the partners added on, making it a five-screen drive-in.

"We bought more property and added more screens. Every year got better when we added screens," Shafer said.

In the early '90s, the partners expanded again, this time leasing property and building four more screens. The property where screens 6-9 sit is up for sale by its owners, Shafer said-- which highlights one of the economic reasons there aren't more drive-ins.

"The thing is, you've got to go way out in the sticks to build a drive-in," Shafer said. "Then 50 or 60 years later, you're surrounded by people and you have the only available property over 20 acres."

Shafer and Clark have sold other drive-ins around the state to companies such as Ford Motor Co. and McDonald's once the property value outweighed movie profits and the average $4-per-car concession revenue.

But the Ford-Wyoming benefits from the dearth of other theaters in its Ford Road neighborhood. "We have no competition at all," he said.

Families are key to success

Drive-in appeal remains strong for certain groups. The ability to bring pets is a plus for people, as is the freedom to smoke. And handicapped patrons like that they don't have to get out of the car, Shafer said.

General manager Ed Szurek, who has worked at the Ford-Wyoming for 26 years, said: "The secret of our continued success is families. The kids come in their PJs. It's a relaxed environment. You aren't shoulder-to-shoulder with someone."

Customer Judy Maiga of Wyandotte agrees. She and her family of five visit the Ford-Wyoming two to three times a year. Maiga appreciates that her daughters can have the same experience she had as a girl, going to the now-closed Jolly Roger Drive-In in Taylor.

"The kids really enjoy it," she said of her three daughters, ages 12, 9 and 7. "It's an event when we go as opposed to going to a regular show. We pop popcorn. It's a whole night.

"Plus, they can see two movies. Financially, that's a big draw," Maiga said. "My 12-year-old had her 10th birthday party there. It was great, and it was cheap. We invited four or five of her friends and had cupcakes."

Szurek said the children's price of $2.50 and the double features are a lure for families. And during the summer, theaters 6-9 featured a special price of $3.99 for adults and free for children under 12 before 9 p.m. that was extremely popular, he said. Regular adult admission is $8.

He estimates 2007 will bring better revenue than the past few years. What's helped, he said, is a steady stream of big movies, like "Transformers" and "Spider-Man 3." And because Ford-Wyoming has multiple screens, it is not locked into showing one at a time, and can open up each movie during the first weeks of showing, when the films take in the bulk of sales.

Szurek is a member of the United Drive In Theatres Owners Association, a national group that works to promote the business. One of their biggest challenges has been making sure drive-ins aren't left out during Hollywood's planned transition from film to digital in the coming years. New theaters opening already use the technology; drive-ins have lobbied hard to ensure they get the same cutting-edge equipment.

The association's work is paying off. After plummeting from 4,063 drive-ins in the heyday of 1958 to around 450 in 1999, the business has begun to stabilize, with new theaters and reopenings offsetting losses. In 2006, there were almost 400 drive-ins with 650 screens nationwide.

"Every single member loves the drive-in business," Szurek said. "The determination in that group is unbelievable."

Originally published online here: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071027/BIZ/710270342