Which sentence would be most important to include in a summary of this passage? The first drive-in movie theater was opened in 1933 by inventor Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr. He realized that parents would like to be able to watch movies with their kids without having to worry about how loud they were. Also, they would not have to hire a babysitter. Though the first drive-in lasted only three years, the idea soon caught on. Drive-ins popped up all over the country.
The number of drive-ins grew rapidly after World War II. The popularity of drive-in theaters peaked in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At one point, there were around 4,000 drive-in theaters operating in the United States. Early theaters used speakers behind and around the screen to project sound. Later, single speakers attached to wires were hung in one window of each car. Some drive-ins had playground equipment for children between the screen and the first row of cars. One thing that all drive-ins had was a snack bar at the back of the parking area. The price of admission was per person, so often teenagers would crawl into the trunk until the car was inside for a free show. Teenagers also enjoyed the privacy of the drive-in for dating!
When land costs rose and VHS movie rentals made watching movies at home possible, most drive-ins closed down. The drive-in was dead. But in the early 21st century, a drive-in revival began. Vacant parking lots were reclaimed and movies were shown on the sides of buildings. Speakers were no longer necessary because the sound could be transmitted to the car stereo. Many middle-aged people just enjoyed being able to relive the part of their lives that occurred in drive-ins. Today, there is a drive-in near most major cities and in many rural areas, as well.