Doc's Drive In Theatre Up for Sale
Got $4 million? You could buy a slice of outdoor cinema heaven.
By Richard Whittaker, 4:30PM, Wed. Jul. 27, 2022
With its combination of automobiles and movies, what's more American than the drive-in? Well, now's your chance to become part of the grand history of turning your car into a cinema, as Doc's Drive In Theatre is up for sale.
Opening in 2018 with two screens at 1540 Satterwhite Rd. in Buda, Doc's has expanded to add a full menu from Doc's Diner, three rentable movie-themed tiny homes (so you can spend the whole night at the cinema), plus Mama Merlot’s Underground Speakeasy, an underground drinking den for the discerning movie buff. Its schedule has been filled with a mixture of classics and second-run releases, as well as special events like the monthly Ravencraft's Vault of Horror, in which local scary movie expert professor Saul Ravencraft unspools a terror classic.
However, founders/owners Chris and Sarah Denny are placing the entire 8-acre, two-screen operation up for sale as a going concern. Asking price: $3,999,000.
As trash cinema connoisseur Joe Bob Briggs says, the drive in will never die. Here's hoping not when it comes to Doc's. While al fresco screenings definitely are in the middle of a resurgence (in the Austin area alone there is Doc's, the Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In mini chain, and special events hosted by Rocket Cinema) and the closure of indoor theatre in the pandemic gave them a huge boost, there are only 325 working drive-ins in America – down from the 1950s heyday of over 4,000.
If you're interested in keeping the drive-in dream alive, you can find the listing right here.
However, don't forget that Doc's is continuing to show movies: four films a night, five days a week (Wednesday-Sunday). Get tickets now at docsdriveintheatre.com.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
June 4, 2025
