Opening of Jurong Drive-in Cinema

On 14 July 1971, Singapore opened its first and to date only open-air drive-in cinema.^[1] Called the Jurong Drive-in Cinema, it was located at Yuan Ching Road next to the Jurong Park.^[2] Owned and managed by Cathay Organisation, the cinema occupied 5.6 ha (56,000 sq m), and was described as “mammoth” and the “largest drive-in in Asia” with a capacity for almost 900 cars, and a sheltered area for 300 people.^[3] The drive-in also provided mobile ice cream and snack services, and was staffed with 20 car marshals to direct traffic.^[4] Then Minister for Culture Jek Yuen Thong officiated at the opening night of Jurong Drive-in. The event attracted a full-capacity crowd of about 880 cars and a throng of walk-in patrons.^[5]

The drive-in featured a giant screen that was installed about 8 m (25 ft) off the ground and angled at six-and-a-half degrees to optimise viewing.^[6] The movie screened on the opening night of the cinema was a British comedy, Doctor in Trouble. The screening was a charity event in aid of the Jurong Town Creche and Jurong Town Community Centre.^[7] Cathay managed to raise about S$20,000 from the sale of the tickets. After opening day, tickets at the Jurong Drive-in were priced at S$2 for adults and S$1 for children under the age of 12.^[8] In its heyday, the drive-in cinema attracted huge turnouts especially at screenings of films that featured the late movie legend Bruce Lee. One of Lee’s films, The Big Boss, grossed S$12,000 for its single opening night show at the drive-in.^[9]

By the early 1980s, the situation at the Jurong Drive-in had become bleak. The number of patrons had dwindled to an average of around 100 cars on a weeknight.^[10] The declining novelty of drive-in cinemas and an increase in video piracy were cited as the reasons for the sharp falls in attendance.^[11] Jurong Drive-in Cinema closed its doors on 30 September 1985 after 15 years in operation.^[12] Only 50 cars turned up at the cinema’s last two screenings.^[13]

References
1. Uhde, J., & Uhde, Y. N. (2010). Latent images: Film in Singapore. (p. 198). Singapore: Ridge Books. Call number: RSING 384.8095957 UHD.
2. Yeo, G. L. (2005, January 22). Movie magic on wheels. The Straits Times, p. H13. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. Byramji, N. (1971, July 15). 900 cars at ‘drive-in’. The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
4. Lim, K. T. (1991). Cathay: 55 years of cinema (p. 69). Singapore: Landmark Books for Meileen Choo. Call number: RSING 791.43095957 LIM.
5. Lim, 1991, p. 69.  
6. Lim, 1991, p. 69.
7. The Straits Times, 15 Jul 1971, p. 15; Lim, 1991, p. 69.
8. Lim, 1991, p. 69.
9. Lim, 1991, p. 69.
10. Wai, R. (1981, December 10). Jurong drive-in’s lot is an unhappy one. The Straits Times, p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
11. Gutierrez, L. (1985, September 29). It’s curtains for Jurong Drive-in tomorrow. The Straits Times, p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
12. The Straits Times, 29 Sep 1985, p. 10.
13. Uhde & Uhde, 2010, p. 198.