Drive-ins / Eight Mile / Van Dyke
Bel-Air Drive-In
Closed – archive entry · 1950–1986
An Eight Mile Road drive-in from 1950 to 1986, with a model train for the kids and, eventually, four screens and room for 3,000 cars, one of the biggest around.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1950
- Closed
- 1986
- Architect
- Ted Rogvoy
- Seats
- 1,800 cars at opening; 3,000 cars on four screens
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Bel-Air opened on August 25, 1950, as a Community Theatres ozoner, with Stella and Curtain Call at Cactus Creek on the bill. Ted Rogvoy designed it with space for 1,800 cars, and there was a model train for the kids. A second screen came in 1971, a third in 1982 and a fourth in 1983, bringing capacity to 3,000 cars. That made it one of the largest drive-ins in the area. It closed on August 21, 1986, and the Bel-Air Shopping Center was built on the site.
- A model train for the kids back in 1950
- Four screens and room for 3,000 cars
- On Eight Mile Road from 1950 to 1986
Plan your visit
The drive-in closed in 1986, and the Bel-Air Shopping Center was built on its lot. For a movie night now, check the working cinemas in our guide.
Cinemas nearby
Back to cinemas ↗
Multiplexes / Detroit
Bel Air Luxury Cinema
The only first-run multiplex inside Detroit's city limits: ten screens on East Eight Mile with luxury rockers, recliners and a giant custom chandelier. No need to drive out to the suburbs for the new releases.
IMAX & giant screens / Detroit
Michigan Science Center – Immersive Dome Theater
Midtown's science museum runs three screens: the giant Immersive Dome Theater, the Penske Planetarium and the 3D Toyota Engineering Theater. The museum calls the dome the largest theatre in Michigan.
Film festivals / Detroit
Detroit Black Film Festival
Independent films directed, written or produced by Black filmmakers, at a Detroit festival Lazar and Marshalle Favors started in 2020. The 7th edition in September 2026 screens 89 films from 30 countries, with the Charles H. Wright Museum as its hub.