Tulsa's Admiral Twin Set To Open For 67th Season

Friday, the ticket booths will be open and the concession stands jammed with people for opening night at the Admiral Twin Drive-In.

"Getting it back open for our 67th season," owner Blake Smith said.

Smith and his family have owned the Admiral Twin for more than 30 years.

It became nationally famous when the movie "The Outsiders" came out in 1983.

Smith said fans still stop by to take pictures.

"They'll ask me a question and I'll say, ‘Yeah, that's where they went through the fence over there.’ You can probably still do that," he said.

It was September 2010 that the fortunes of the Admiral Twin took a turn. The wood structure holding the two screens burned to the ground.

Interestingly, that fire ignited a groundswell of support.

"Tulsa got behind us," Smith said.

It took all of 2011, but in 2012 the drive-in was back, and, he said, stronger. In fact, beginning about that time, drive-ins around the country experienced a bit of a nostalgia boom.

"There's a little over 300…so more than you think,” said Smith.

He said not every movie plays well at a drive-in.

"Our best product is family-based movies," Smith said.

And that's just what they've got lined up for opening night – a double feature on both screens.

"This is more about the experience than it is about the movie," Smith said.