Roadium Open-Air Market and Drive-In
It had been decades since the Roadium in Torrance had shown its seemingly final drive-in movie in October 1985 — though the 15-acre site on Redondo Beach Boulevard has since been thriving as an outdoor swap meet, first established in the 1960s. And then the inconceivable happened, with the reopening of the drive-in portion of Roadium in 2019 with a Friday night screening series of nostalgic films like “Grease,” “Back to the Future” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” What was intended to be limited only to the summertime actually extended through December 2019, with holiday-themed movies showing on the big screen? First opened in 1950 and built among the abundant strawberry fields that once could be found throughout Torrance, Gardena, Hawthorne, and more, this was the second Roadium to open in the Los Angeles area (the first being in Paramount).
Founded by Dale Gasteiger of Headliner Entertainment Group, it was known for a time as the “Roadium Drive-In Theatre Park” and featured an 18-hole mini-golf course under the backside of the screen tower, marked by a rocket ship at the 40-foot high “Missile Hole.” Roadium is now operated by Pioneer Theatres, Ltd., which had to reinstall a projection system for the drive-in revival, as it had converted its booth into offices when screenings had ceased. It has expanded its summer Friday screenings to both Friday and Saturday nights as part of its “Summer Weekends at the Drive-In” series. Tickets are sold on Eventbrite in advance and at the ticket booth the night of the screening. On certain nights, you might spot car clubs congregating and putting on impromptu vintage car shows.
- Address: The Roadium 2500 W. Redondo Beach Blvd Torrance, Los Angeles County, California 90504
- Yelp Rating: 4/5
- Contact: (310) 532-5678
- Website: https://roadium.com/
- Price: $25.00
