Porch Notes
The Capri Drive-In
History and culture
Just west of Coldwater, along that same old Chicago Road (US-12), sits one of the last great drive-in movie theaters: the Capri. A Detroit couple, John and Mary Magocs, sold their business, bought an empty field, and opened it in 1964 at the height of the drive-in craze — room for more than 800 cars in front of a single giant screen. A second screen came along in the 1980s, salvaged from a closed drive-in near Detroit.
What makes the Capri special is that it’s still here, still run by the Magocs family — three generations now — and still has its original 1964 look, right down to the glowing neon sign out front. In 2024 it became the first drive-in theater in Michigan listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2026 it won a state Governor’s Award for historic preservation. It runs on weekend and summer nights, and people drive in from all over southern Michigan and northern Indiana to catch a double feature under the stars.
You’ll find the Capri on US-12 west of Coldwater; showtimes are at capridrive-in.com.