SLO County’s only drive-in theater has hosted movie nights for 75 years. Here’s how
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- Sunset Drive-In continues nightly double features after 75 years in operation.
- Rodkey family manages the theater, preserving legacy through four generations.
- Swap meet, snacks and retro atmosphere sustain revenue amid rising film costs.
As the marine layer descended over San Luis Obispo on a chilly August night, more than a dozen cars parked in front of the Sunset Drive-in just off Highway 101, snuggled near the San Luis Cemetery.
Kids donning pajamas sprinted across the parking lot, while friends pulled out camp chairs and popped the trunks of their hatchbacks to transform cargo space into couches.
Behind rows of vehicles, a bright yellow snack shack served up classic movie treats — buttered popcorn, cartons of candy and fountain sodas.
By 8:30 p.m., a small crowd of movie-goers was seated with their eyes glued to the screen to watch Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in the comedy “Freakier Friday.”
Over the decades, the Sunset Drive-in has withstood economic downturns, bad bouts of weather and a coronavirus pandemic to stay alive — even as other outdoor movie theaters have closed.
Sunset Drive-In owner Larry Rodkey said he has never considered shuttering the 75-year-old family-run business.
“It makes me sad to think that it’s a dying business. Once they’re gone, they’re gone,” Rodkey said in an email to the Tribune. “But I’m glad that we still have the opportunity to stay open.”
Rain or shine, San Luis Obispo County’s last drive-in movie theater is playing a double feature every night of the week up on the big screen.
When did San Luis Obispo’s Sunset Drive-in open?
The Sunset Drive-in is one of just 16 drive-in movie theaters still running in California, according to car sales site Driveway.
USA Today readers voted the Sunset Drive-In one of the 10 best drive-ins in the country two years in a row.
The San Luis Obispo institution first got its start in May 1950 when owner Charles Pasquini opened the $100,000 outdoor theater in May 1950.
The 270,000-square-foot parking lot was big enough to fit 512 cars in front of a 66-foot screen, the San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune reported in 1950.
The first film shown at the drive-in was “Davy Crockett, Indian Scout,” an adventurous Wild West tale starring Ellen Drew and George Montgomery.
Rodkey’s late father, Raymond Rodkey, was the drive-in’s original manager.
He had extensive theater experience, having run the Fremont Theatre and the Obispo Theatre in San Luis Obispo in the 1940s, Larry Rodkey told The Tribune.
As soon as Larry Rodkey was old enough, he said, he was helping his dad run the shows at the Sunset Drive-in.
It’s where he learned to drive by the time he was 8 years old, shifting gears over the gravel lot while his father was working in the office.
The Rodkey family has owned several movie theaters over the years, including the Sunset Drive-In, the Oaks Drive-In in Paso Robles, the Fair Oaks Theatre in Arroyo Grande, the Pismo Theatre in Pismo Beach and the Fox Theatre in Paso Robles, New Times San Luis Obispo previously reported.
“Movies have been a part of my entire life,” Larry Rodkey said. “When I was a kid, I used to have a theater in my garage. I love the theater business.”
Rodkey took over ownership of the Sunset Drive-in in 1984, he said.
He still owns the Sunset Drive-in, along with Fair Oaks Theatre and the Skyline Drive-in Barstow.
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What’s it like to run SLO County’s only drive-in theater?
Approximately 75 years since the Sunset-Drive-In opened, not much has changed, Rodkey said.
“It’s the original building. Everything is the same except the projection room,” which now uses new digital projector instead of playing film reels, he told The Tribune.
Once lined with gravel, the lot was eventually paved with asphalt, Rodkey said.
If anything, the theater has just gotten older, Rodkey laughed, and it’s more expensive to run.
Besides inflation, the theater’s biggest challenge is rain, he exclaimed.
“Luckily, we don’t get too much of it here,” Rodkey said.
In the early days, the Sunset Drive-in would several different movies throughout the week.
Now the same two movies run for up to three weeks, Rodkey said, due to rising costs.
“It used to be a lot cheaper to play new and upcoming movies on the screen,” he said. “Back in the day, movie companies would get 35% of ticket sales, whereas now it can be 60% to 70% of ticket sales.”
To stopgap rising theater costs, the Sunset Drive-in hosts a “super” swap meet every Sunday.
A long-standing local tradition since the early 1970s, the outdoor market boasts food trucks and a variety of vendors.
How local family has kept beloved drive-in theater alive
Rodkey’s family still manages the Sunset Drive-in.
His kids used to work the swap meet, snack bar and ticket sales. Now, his grandchildren run everything from management to social media and the website, he said.
Rodkey’s granddaughter, Marissa Verschoor, a former manager of the Sunset Drive-in, called it a “happy place” that offers a more relaxed movie experience that a traditional theater. Parents can take young kids or even bring along the family dog.
“I hope we can keep it running for as long as possible and keep it in the family as well,” she said. “I would hate to see it go, and I think the majority of San Luis Obispo County would agree.”
Currently, her brother, Brian Martines, manages the outdoor theater.
He told The Tribune his goals for the iconic property going forward are simple: providing tasty snacks and a good movie experience.
He may also make small changes including fixing up the pavement at some point.
“I’m just looking for ways to improve it in the future, without trying to take away its old style,” Martines said.
How to visit Sunset Drive-In off Highway 101
The Sunset Drive-In, 255 Elks Lane in San Luis Obispo, plays two movies a night, seven days a week.
The outdoor theater is cash only with gates opening at 7:30 p.m. daily, with the first movie screening of the night typically starting around 8 p.m.
Admission costs $13, or $6 for children under 12. Kids 4 or younger get in for free.
The outdoor theater is screening “The Naked Gun” and “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning” through Thursday, Aug. 28.
You can find upcoming flicks and showtimes at the Sunset Drive-in’s website or Facebook page.
This story was originally published August 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
