Editor’s note: We Are Aiken County is a series of articles that will run through Feb. 26. It celebrates people, places and events that have shaped Aiken County.
In the 1950s, South Carolina boasted more than 70 drive-in movie theaters, according to driveinmovie.com.
Today, only three remain, and one – the most famous in the state, according to the website – is the Big Mo, just a short drive up U.S. 1 from Aiken in Monetta.
The Big Mo, or the Monetta Drive-in officially, is a seasonal drive-in theater opening in March and closing in November. The original drive-in opened in 1951 with a single screen. It closed in 1986, and the abandoned field was at risk of becoming a junkyard, according to a news story in the Aiken Standard in July 2022.
After that deal fell through, Richard and Lisa Boaz bought the property and reopened the Monetta Drive-in in March 1999. They added a second screen in 2005 and a third in 2011.
Three screens on three separate fields allows the Big Mo to offer several different films at the same time, and each screen has its own radio station to allow patrons of the outdoor cinema to listen to the movie.
Three screens also provide different movie options for all age ranges, and a playground located on the main field gives children a place to play before the film begins. The concession stand also is on the main field.
The main field also pays tribute to Monetta’s agricultural heritage: the field’s projection booth is in the shape of a giant peach with the name, The Big Mo, glowing in neon lights. The town and the ridge area is known for producing tons of the summer fruit.
The Big Mo is open in all weather.
The Big Mo presents the same first-run movies as traditional movie theaters. Each field offers a double feature of new releases starting at sundown on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Summer blockbusters, such as last year’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to the 1986 movie also starring Tom Cruise, often sell out. Patrons should arrive early to avoid long lines and to get the best parking spaces, according to the Big Mo’s website.
During the season, the weekend’s upcoming movies typically are released on Tuesday night. Admission is cash only.
For more information, visit thebigmo.com or its Facebook page, or call 803-685-7949.
The Monetta Drive-In is located at 5822 Columbia Highway N., Monetta.
This content was originally published here.
