MANSFIELD, Conn. — Even though celluloid film and old-school projectors have all gone digital, and you can now buy your tickets online and have them ready to go on your phone, the Mansfield Drive-In’s mission to entertain the masses hasn’t changed in 71 years.
“We’re not really from the 21st century, but we’re trying to integrate a little bit of that into the drive-in,” said Naomi Jungden, general manager of the drive-in, which has been a family business since her father, Michael Jungden, purchased the business from its previous owners in 1991.
About an hour’s drive from Springfield, the Mansfield Drive-In shows double-feature films every week on its three-screen, 40-acre complex. During a recent week, the drive-in was offering “Lilo & Stitch” and “Thunderbolts” on one screen, “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Karate Kid: Legends” on another, and “Ballerina” and “Final Destination: Bloodlines” on the third, all first-run Hollywood releases.
Jungden said it’s that commitment to keeping things fresh and modern that has helped the Mansfield Drive-In survive as other drive-ins across the country have shuttered.
The first drive-in theater was opened in New Jersey in 1933. By the late 1950s, there were more than 4,000 drive-ins throughout America, with a record-high of 4,063 drive-ins operating in 1958, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association.
Today, that number stands at around 285 theaters. The association reported a rough year in 2024, with only three drive-ins opening and 16 closing.
“A lot of the other drive-ins that have closed down have played all retros and, while we do love a good retro, I think it’s important to stay with the times and bring people what they want to see,” Jungden said.
Closures include the West Springfield Drive-In, which offered double-feature screenings in the parking lot of the Eastern States Exposition in 2021. Fiesta Shows, which operated the drive-in, posted on its website that the drive-in was closing after its 2021 season. No further updates were ever posted, and the social media pages for the West Springfield Drive-In stopped posting updates in late 2021. DriveInMovie.com, an online drive-in theater database, lists the West Springfield Drive-In as permanently closed.
A social experience
The Mansfield Drive-In is now open seven nights a week. Gates open at about 7:15 p.m. each night, and you can choose from one of three screens. Movie selections are posted online a week in advance on the drive-in’s website and on its social media channels.
“We play double features every night, but if people want to stay for just the first movie or just the second movie, you can totally do that,” Jungden said. “You can come for whichever you want.”
To encourage more people to visit, Mansfield Drive-In is offering a special “Carload Wednesday” deal this summer. On Wednesdays through the end of August, each car is admitted for $26, regardless of the number of occupants in the car. Whether you have two people in your car or a vanload of 10 — you’ll only pay $26 on Wednesdays.
The Mansfield Drive-In website advises arriving at least an hour before showtime, as parking is first-come, first-served. All vehicles that fit in a standard-size parking space are welcome.
Once you’ve parked, you can get out of your car to grab a drink and a bite to eat at the snack bar. The snack bar, which is open during all first-movie showings and closes after the intermissions are over, offers classics like soda, popcorn, soft pretzels, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and fried dough.
As far as when the actual movies start, there are no rules about staying in your car.
“We have a lot of people who do fun setups — they’ll park their SUVs and bring blow-up mattresses, deck out the inside of their SUV or the bed of their truck. Some people will bring lawn chairs,” Jungden said.
And while indoor movie theaters encourage silence, the drive-in offers a lot more freedom when it comes to noise. “You can chat, you can comment on what’s happening because people are further apart. There’s not a stranger sitting right next to you,” she added.
That makes the drive-in a much less stressful experience for parents with chatty children, as it can be hard to get young ones to sit still and be quiet for the entirety of a movie. “Your kids make noise. It’s fine. We all know 2-year-olds have meltdowns every once in a while,” Jungden said.
Pets are welcome to the movies, too — as long as they are well-behaved and on a leash.
Flea market on Sundays
Moviegoers attend the flea market at the Mansfield Drive-In.Mansfield Drive-In
If you want to make a full day out of your trip to Mansfield, Jungden encourages making a Sunday visit. Sundays are packed at the Mansfield Marketplace, with a flea market open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The marketplace is held indoors and outdoors, rain or shine, with upward of 300 vendors a week on hand to sell everything from plants and produce to antiques and collectibles, clothing, crafts, jewelry, toys and more. No pets are allowed at the flea market.
“Even I don’t know what’s coming in the door on any given Sunday,” Jungden said. “We see all kinds of crazy things come through. We have everything from antiques to home goods to car parts and toys. My personal weakness, plants.”
Entrance to the Sunday flea market is $3 per car for buyers, cash only. And although the market closes at 2 p.m., the drive-in opens back up for its nightly showings at 7:15 p.m. You can spend the time in-between grabbing a bite to eat or visiting a local park or museum, and then return for the drive-in.
The Mansfield Drive-In is open seven nights a week through the end of August. When September hits, operating hours will be reduced to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The flea market is open every Sunday through Thanksgiving.
Tickets cost $13 for ages 12 and older and $9 for ages 4 to 11, military members with ID, and seniors 65 and older. Children 3 and under are admitted free. Ticket cost is per person, except for on Carload Wednesdays. Tickets can be purchased in advance online, or at the gate using cash, Apple Pay, or major credit cards.
And behind those three massive screens, Jungden works to uphold the legacy that her family has been striving for since 1991.
“I feel really fortunate to have a job that is literally focused around just having a good time,” Jungden said. “And we do have a good time.”
