April 15, 2025 - John Watzke Owner of the Ocala Drive-In Movie Theater & William Clevinger & his mom

John Watzke is the owner of the ⁠Ocala Drive-In Theater⁠, which he restored and reopened in 2011 after finding it vacant in 2010. Coming from a family with a long history in the movie business, Watzke runs the drive-in as a passion project, showing movies seven days a week and also hosting other events like concerts and graduations.At one time, thousands of drive-ins dotted the country. Today the number is just more than 300, according to driveinmovie.comBut the renewed interest in the drive-in continued even after the indoor theaters reopened.“The pandemic brought the recognition of drive-ins back,” Watzke said. “It brought the drive-ins back into the limelight when people started realizing, ‘Hey, they still have drive-ins,’ and what a great thing it is—it’s a family outing.”The Ocala Drive-In opened in 1948 and shut down in 2002 only to reopen a year later before again closing in 2007.In 2011, Watzke stepped in, renovated the property, updated the equipment and personally handled the day-to-day operation. The work paid off—Watzke now recognizes regulars from St. Augustine, Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Daytona who make the commute to enjoy the inexpensive outing. The drive-in charges $6 per adult and $3 per child for two movies. Ticket sales account for only 20% of the revenue, Watzke said. It’s the concession stand that keeps films on the screens.“It’s a family gathering, okay?” Watzke said. “Family gets together. They come to the drive-in. They’re spending at least four to five hours or more together.”And if you ask someone about a movie they’ve seen at a drive-in, he says, “they’re going to tell you what drive-in they’ve seen it at, what vehicle they were driving, who was with them—it becomes a memory.’ Even before the pandemic, however, Watzke continued to improve the drive-in experience and expand options. They installed FM transmitters to broadcast sound through car stereos instead of through window speakers. They upgraded the projectors, and Watzke also added a second screen.The drive-in also shows more than movies. They feature concerts—video and real-time. Blake Sheldon, Garth Brooks, Bon Jovi, and Jimmy Buffet have all appeared on the Ocala screen along with Christian artists, For King and Country and Toby Mac. The drive-in has also hosted girl scout events, school award ceremonies and CF graduations.Whatever the event, the drive-in allows families the chance to come together as a family and that’s what Watzke is all about—the memories.For Watzke, it’s also a family affair. His father and his grandfather were movie projectionists. His brother, Charlie, operates a theater in Waveland, Mississippi.“I was raised in the theaters—my family has been, uh, 108 years working in theaters,” he said.Background: Watzke grew up in the movie industry and has a passion for drive-ins, which he sees as an important part of movie-going culture.Restoration: He and his brother bought the 1948 drive-in, renovated it, and reopened it in 2011.Operations: The drive-in shows movies seven days a week and also hosts events like concerts, graduations, and other gatherings.Business model: Watzke emphasizes the importance of concession sales for the drive-in's survival and focuses on showing family-friendly and animated films.Recent events: In 2023, the drive-in was temporarily closed due to significant flooding that impacted the property and Watzke's apartment, which is located on the premises. John and William and his family are working together to build a movie studio and human experience Utopia at the Ocala Drive In. Clevinger discusses his vision for that in this conversation that Will's mother is also a part of, Kathy having attended the drive in since she was a young child in Ocala, now 71 years old. Rooted in Legacy Clevinger and company have big plans for what's ahead all connected to the vision that was behind the pursuit of Paramount.