The Admiral Twin Drive-In, which reopened triumphantly in June after a fire destroyed its iconic double screen two years ago, may screen movies into November, according to a report in the Tulsa World.
Ticket sales to the historic Tulsa drive-in theater have been so strong that owner Blake Smith thinks he can stay open past Halloween.
Business has been solid since the reopening, with Tulsans returning to the drive-in that generations have visited since its 1951 debut. Thousands of first-time customers have enjoyed the outdoor cinema, too, with the traditional convoys of pickups being joined by families in sport utility vehicles.
“We’ve been doing about twice the business this summer that we’ve done in the past,” Smith said. He estimated that in the first two months since the reopening, the drive-in’s business was equivalent to that of an entire four-month business cycle of May through August in recent years. […]
He said people have expressed appreciation for the expanded menu offered at the shiny new concession stand (“Hamburgers have been the biggest seller of the new items,” Smith said, “but popcorn is still No. 1 overall”), as well as for the new rest rooms. […]
“People are just really happy that we’re back, and they’re still telling us that two months later,” Smith said. “You never get tired of hearing that.”
The average first frost date in Tulsa is Oct. 21, although I’ve noticed in recent years it going well into November. So Smith’s optimism for a long season for outdoor movies seems warranted.
The Admiral Twin sits very close to the older Admiral Place alignment of Route 66 in Tulsa. The theater also was used in a prominent scene in the movie adaptation of “The Outsiders.”