- Gets dark7:25 pm
- Google rating4.5012345678901234567890123456789reviews
- Screens3
- Price$30a carload
- Outside food$10permit per car
- DogsOn a leash
- Sit outsideYes
- FM screen 192.9 FM
- FM screen 291.1 FM
- Car spots350
- Opened1948
Van-Del Drive-In is at 19986 Lincoln Highway in Middle Point, Ohio, west of Lima and east of Fort Wayne.
It has three screens, and screen one uses a laser projector. You get two movies for one price. You can pay $30 for a carload, or pay per person: $10 for ages 10 to 59, $5 for kids 5 to 9, and $5 for seniors 60 to 69. When you book online you pick a parking slot, and each slot holds one to six tickets.
Movies play rain or shine. Dogs are welcome on a leash. If you want to bring your own food or drinks, you buy a $10 permit for the car. No alcohol.
Location
Where is Van-Del Drive-In Theater?
Van-Del Drive-In Theater is at 19986 Lincoln Hwy, Middle Point, OH 45863. The entrance is at Middle Point Wetzel Road. The closest highway is US-30.
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Where to eat nearby
If you would rather eat before the movie than at the counter:
- Firehouse Pizza
- Danny's Bar and Grill
- Compa's Mexican restaurant
Start time
What time does the movie start at Van-Del Drive-In Theater?
Van-Del Drive-In Theater does not post a set start time that we could find. Check its website on the day you go.
In October the sun sets around 6:57 pm and it gets dark around 7:25 pm.
Dark means full dark, about 25 minutes after sunset. It is not a time Van-Del Drive-In Theater promises, and some drive-ins start the movie before it. Plan to be parked by sunset.
Here is when it gets dark in each month, from April to October, on the 15th.
| Month | Gets dark |
|---|---|
| April | 8:44 pm |
| May | 9:19 pm |
| June | 9:44 pm |
| July | 9:40 pm |
| August | 9:06 pm |
| September | 8:15 pm |
| October | 7:25 pm |
For more on what time it gets dark and when drive-ins really start their movies, read our start-time guide.
Prices
How much Van-Del Drive-In Theater costs
- Per car$30One price for the whole car
- Adult$10*
- Child$5Ages 5-9
- Senior$5
Amenities
Food, restrooms and rules
- Radios to rent: Portable radios are rentable at the concession stand; a driver's license is held as a refundable deposit until the radio is returned.
- Snack bar
- Outside food is allowed with a $10 permit, bought at the gate
- Restrooms in a building
- You can bring your dog, on a leash
- You can sit outside your car
- Engine rule: engine must be off during the movie (radio works in accessory mode); AC needs redirect to an indoor theater
- Smoking: allowed only inside a fully closed vehicle (windows up); banned outside the vehicle, marijuana banned anywhere on the property
- Outside food fine: $15 charged for outside food without the $10 permit, or leave without a refund
- Refunds: advance tickets refundable by email 30+ minutes before showtime, requests answered within 48 hours
- Private events: theater rentable for parties, contact by email
- Parking: staff assign spots and space posts for two vehicles per gap; no holding a spot for a friend
- Operator group: Saunders Theater Properties also runs Van Wert Cinemas (indoor, about 10 miles away) and Bryan Theatre
- Laser projector on screen 1
- The snack bar's roof is too small for anyone taller than 5'5".
- A staff member jump-started a reviewer's dead car battery in the lot.
- A staff member paid for a customer's concession item out of his own pocket when they came up short.
- The concession stand's oven exhaust vents face directly into the customer line, making the wait uncomfortably hot.
Reviews
What visitors say about Van-Del Drive-In Theater
From 595 visitor reviews, 4.5 stars.
One bad night, July 25, 2026
- 4 of the most recent 1-star reviews were all posted within about 16 hours on July 25, 2026, not spread across separate visits.
- That night's complaints: Screen 2's picture too dark to watch (3 reviewers), no toilet paper or soap in the restrooms (2 reviewers, a third called the restroom too small), and other guests' headlights or engines left running with no staff enforcement (3 reviewers).
Double-feature value
- 3 reviews from May-June 2026 call the two-movie, one-price format a standout value, one putting it at under $10 for two movies.
Staff helpfulness
- 4 reviews between May and August 2026 describe staff jump-starting a dead car battery or personally covering a stranger's concession purchase.
Before you go
Know before you go
- Taller vehicles may be asked to move to the back of the lot so they don't block other guests' view.
- Rain or shine, the movie plays
- You can come just for the second movie, but you still pay the full price.
- Coming in more than one car? Arrive together so you can park together.
- Kids can sit on top of the car, but you have to park at the back so nobody behind you loses their view.
- Bring a portable FM radio if you want to sit outside your car, plus chairs, a blanket and a flashlight.
- Bug spray is sold at the concession stand if you forget it.
- You book a parking slot, and each slot holds between one and six tickets.
- One ticket covers a full double feature on your chosen screen; a 2026 reviewer put the price at under $10 for two movies.
- The theater sells an outside food and drink permit if you'd rather bring your own snacks than buy at the concession stand.
- Well-behaved pets are welcome on a leash.
- Showings run rain or shine, per the venue's own site.
- The theater runs all-night movie marathons on holidays, per a 2026 reviewer.
History
The history of Van-Del Drive-In Theater
The Van-Del Drive-In in Middle Point, Ohio, opened on June 11, 1948, as the Star Lite Drive-In, built by J. W. and C. N. Christopher of St. Marys with room for 400 cars. Paul Staup bought it that September, reopened it in 1949 as Staup's Auto Movie, and renamed it the Van-Del Auto Movie on July 2, 1951.
Thomas Epps ran it from 1967 and sold it in 1998 to Jim and Joyce Boyd, who added digital projection and two more screens. Saunders Theater Properties operated it by 2025.
FAQ
Questions about Van-Del Drive-In Theater, answered
How many screens does Van-Del Drive-In have?
Van-Del Drive-In has three screens. Each one shows a different film on the same night, so you choose which screen you want as you pull in and park facing it. Ask at the gate what is playing on each.
What FM frequency does Van-Del Drive-In use?
Van-Del Drive-In broadcasts its soundtrack on Screen 1: 92.9 FM, Screen 2: 91.1 FM. The audio comes through your own car stereo rather than a speaker on a post. If your car cannot run its radio with the engine off, bring a portable one.
Can I rent a radio at Van-Del Drive-In?
Van-Del Drive-In rents radios at the counter: portable radios are rentable at the concession stand; a driver's license is held as a refundable deposit until the radio is returned. It is worth one if you plan to sit outside the car, or if running your stereo for four hours would flatten your battery. They go quickly on a busy night, so ask when you arrive rather than at the interval.
What time does the movie start at Van-Del Drive-In?
Van-Del Drive-In does not post a set start time that we could find. Most drive-ins start the movie around dusk, which in October is about 7:25 pm and at midsummer closer to 9:44 pm. Plan to be parked by sunset and check with the theater on the day you go.
How much does Van-Del Drive-In cost?
Admission to Van-Del Drive-In is $30 a carload, $10 per adult, $5 per child 5-9, $5 for seniors. That is one price for the whole vehicle, so five of you pay what two would.
Can I bring my own food to Van-Del Drive-In?
You can bring your own food to Van-Del Drive-In once you have bought a permit for $10 a car. The permit is worth it if you were going to spend more than that at the counter anyway. Without one, outside food is not allowed in.
Are dogs allowed at Van-Del Drive-In?
Dogs are welcome at Van-Del Drive-In as long as the leash stays on. Keep it short near other cars, bring water, and clean up afterwards. A nervous dog is worth leaving at home, because sound carries across a lot.
Nearby
Other drive-in theaters in Ohio
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