The plot starts before the movie does.
This old-school screen nearly had its final credits back in 1999, when it sat dark for a season. Then local movie fans rewrote the ending and brought it back.
Now that is a sequel I can support.
The theater first opened in 1950, and Virginia moviegoers can still catch current films there under the night sky. Double features keep the evening going long after one set of credits rolls.
I would arrive before dark. Consider it your opening scene.
Once the screen lights up, the car becomes your private little theater box and the snack bar handles intermission.
There is no velvet rope and no fancy lobby drama. Just a movie night with a very good backstory.
And unlike most sequels, this comeback actually stuck.
The Screen Has Been Part Of Lexington Since 1950
Hull’s Drive-In began in 1950 as the Lee Drive-In, built by W.C. Atkins on land leased from the Hostetter family. Sebert W.
Hull bought the business and lease in 1957, and the Hull family operated it for decades.
That timeline matters because the theater has not been recreated as a retro attraction. The same site has carried drive-in movie nights through major changes in film technology, sound systems, cars, and audience habits.
For a visitor, the history is easiest to appreciate once you are parked. The basic idea remains wonderfully uncomplicated: face the screen, make yourself comfortable, and wait for darkness. No lobby maze is required before the evening can begin.
The theater’s long run also explains why the name is tied so closely to the community around Lexington and Rockbridge County. Hull’s is not a themed copy of a mid-century drive-in. It grew out of that era and kept adapting as the decades moved on.
Arrive early enough to look around before the first movie. Once the picture starts, the big screen tends to win the argument for your attention.
Current Films Still Share The Big Outdoor Screen
Hull’s continues to show current movies in 2026, mixing newer releases with classics and special programming across the season.
The September calendar is active, and current movie nights continue to use the outdoor screen rather than turning the property into a nostalgia-only attraction.
Double features remain a central part of the regular movie experience. That gives the evening a natural break between films and lets one ticket cover a longer night under the stars.
The schedule can change as movie availability and studio requirements shift, so checking the current lineup before leaving home is more useful than assuming a particular title will still be playing next weekend.
That little bit of planning also helps with the length of the night. Two movies can carry you well beyond an ordinary dinner outing, especially once sunset is part of the start time.
If one film is the main draw, decide beforehand whether you want to stay for both. The double-feature format gives you the option, but it does not require your attention span to become heroic.
A blanket, a comfortable chair, and a plan for the late drive home can make the second movie much easier to enjoy.
Double-Feature Admission Keeps The Price Easy To Understand
Current regular admission is twelve dollars for adults and six dollars for children ages five through eleven for a double feature. Children four and younger do not need a ticket. Special movie events can use different pricing.
That makes the basic ticket structure easy to understand before you arrive. You are paying per person for the regular double-feature program rather than trying to calculate a separate ticket for each movie.
Online purchasing is available, but regular showings do not require advance reservations. If the night matters to your plans, buying ahead can still remove one small task from arrival.
The value of a double feature depends on whether you actually want to stay for both movies, so plan around your group rather than treating the second film as an obligation.
Families with young children may prefer one movie and an earlier exit. Night owls can settle in for the full program.
The smart move is to think beyond the ticket. A long movie night may also include snacks, blankets, and whatever makes the car comfortable for several hours.
Pack for the whole evening rather than just the first title, and the second half of the night becomes much easier.
The 1999 Closure Changed The Theater’s Future
Hull’s did not open for the 1999 season. After Sebert Hull passed away before the 1998 season, the business had been sold to W.D. Goad, who kept it operating that summer.
By the following year, the cost of technical improvements required by the movie industry made reopening difficult.
That quiet season prompted local supporters to organize. In June 1999, Eric and Elise Sheffield called a public meeting attended by more than fifty people, and the group that emerged became Hull’s Angels.
The organization spent that summer building membership and raising startup money. Within a few months, it had grown to hundreds of members and was working toward a more permanent future for the theater.
An agreement reached in April 2000 gave Hull’s Angels a lease-purchase path for the business. The drive-in reopened that July with new projection and sound equipment.
The next steps came quickly. Hull’s Angels received federal tax-exempt status in December 2000 and exercised its purchase option in May 2001.
That sequence turned a closed season into a new operating model. The theater returned not as a conventional private business, but as a community-backed organization with preservation built into its structure.
Hull’s Angels Still Runs The Drive-In As A Nonprofit
Hull’s Angels, Inc. operates the theater as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization created to preserve Hull’s Drive-In. An elected board works with the executive director, and volunteers continue to contribute to the operation.
That structure changes the practical side of the business. Memberships, sponsorships, donations, ticket sales, concessions, and events all help support a property that has ongoing equipment and facility needs.
You do not need to join anything to watch a movie. The nonprofit side simply explains why community involvement appears so often around the theater, from volunteer work to special events and fundraising.
For visitors, the night can remain pleasantly simple. Buy a ticket, park, get comfortable, and watch the movie. The organizational history sits in the background unless you want to explore it more closely.
The theater also hosts private events and rentals outside regular public movie nights when scheduling allows. That keeps the property active for more than weekend screenings alone.
A drive-in requires a surprising amount of infrastructure for something that looks so easy from a lawn chair. Projection, sound, the screen, parking areas, concessions, and buildings all have to keep working after the last credits roll.
A Little Arrival Planning Makes Movie Night Easier
On current September 2026 movie nights, gates open at 6:30 p.m. and the first film begins after dark.
Arriving before the movie starts gives you time to park, settle in, and handle snacks without trying to organize the car while the opening scene is already on the screen.
Online ticket purchasing is available, so you can handle admission before the drive if that makes the evening easier. Regular showings do not require advance reservations, which leaves room for a more spontaneous plan.
Hull’s also has designated accessible parking spaces close to the concession stand and restrooms. Open captions are available for certain showings with advance notice.
Weather belongs in the plan too. Outdoor movies are more comfortable when you have an extra layer, a blanket, and something ready for insects on warm nights.
Keep the setup practical. You do not need to turn the parking space into a furnished apartment. Comfortable seating, enough warmth for the second feature, and a little time before dark cover most of the important parts.
You will find Hull’s Drive-In at 2367 North Lee Highway, Lexington, VA 24450.
Current Movies Keep The Old Drive-In Format Moving
Hull’s works because the history does not require the movie schedule to stay historical. The screen can carry a current release one weekend and a classic or special event another, while the basic drive-in routine remains familiar.
That balance also keeps the experience easy to understand for someone who has never been to a drive-in. The car becomes your base, darkness sets the start time, and the screen does the rest.
The 2026 season includes regular movie nights as well as additional events, including pre-movie programming during parts of the season, so checking the calendar before a trip is the simplest way to avoid building plans around an outdated schedule.
If you are coming from outside Lexington, give the evening room. Two films plus the drive home can make for a late night, and rushing away halfway through the second feature rather defeats the relaxed setup.
Families can keep things flexible, couples can turn the double feature into a longer night out, and movie fans can simply enjoy seeing a current film in a format that predates multiplexes by decades.
Arrive early, make the car comfortable, and let the screen take over once the sky gets dark. Hull’s has been doing that job since 1950, and the basic idea still works remarkably well.