Final credits to roll at Busso drive-in

When the credits roll at the end of the final film shown at the Busselton Drive-In Outdoor Cinema these April school holidays, it could be for the last time.

The iconic theatre has operated throughout the summer months from September to April for 50 years and is one of regional WA’s last drive-in cinemas.

But the advance of modern cinema has gradually reduced patronage to the point where it is no longer economically viable to operate.

Owner Ron Jones has applied for a rezoning of the Bussell Highway property in order to sell it for residential development.

“The drive-in is reaching the end of its days and I am approaching retirement, ” he said.

The rapidly turning tide towards digital cinema has meant less and less film prints are being produced and, Mr Jones said, the remainder of the drive-in’s existence depended on how long prints continued to be made available.

He said replacing the cinema’s motion picture film projector with a digital projector would cost him at least $100,000.

“It’s unique — when it was first installed it was the main place of entertainment but Busselton has moved on, people don’t need a drive-in anymore, this town is the events capital of regional WA, ” he said.

“There are lot of outdoor cinemas in WA now but hardly any drive-ins left.

“My patrons now are mostly visitors revisiting their youth. There isn’t enough local support for it.

“If it weren’t for visitors to Busselton the drive-in wouldn’t be running.”

Mr Jones’ father Allan Jones first started running pictures in the South West in 1923 and the land on which the Busselton Drive-In sits has been owned by the Jones family for more than two generations.

“WA had about 90 drive-ins, our family operated four, Busselton, Margaret River, Manjimup and Kojonup, but most closed in the late 80s and early 90s, ” Mr Jones said.

Mr Jones said while he would be sad to let it go, the decision came down to economics.

“It’s a business and it is too big for one person but it doesn’t make enough money to employ any more than that, ” he said.

“It’s a one-person show. I do the maintenance, cleaning, mowing, programming, advertising and unfortunately, I would like to, but I can’t keep doing it forever. Everything has its end.”

Mr Jones said he had a busy December and January but the cinema wasn’t as popular throughout the rest of the season and he barely took the minimum wage.

“If we had the numbers I’ve had in January all year I’d have a digital projector tomorrow, ” he said.

The drive-in will hold a special fundraising night for Princess Margaret Hospital on Friday, January 21, screening nostalgic 1980s classics Fame and The Goonies