Screen dream

Retro Texas drive-in movie theater premieres on the market at $4 million

Chris and Sarah Denny opened the theater, at 1540 Satterwhite Rd., in 2018.

Courtesy of Ben Brennan with Foto ATX for Douglas Elliman Realty

Picture this: You could be the owner of a retro-style drive-in movie theater in Central Texas.

Doc’s Drive-In Theatre, located in the Austin suburb of Buda, recently debuted on the market at a list price of nearly $4 million ($3.999 million, to be precise). The deal includes the business itself, as well as the land and structures.

The 7.9-acre property, near I-35, features the theater setup as well as three fully furnished movie-themed rental casitas and a members-only, speakeasy-like private club. Also included in the sale are the commercial kitchen and bar. The theater, casitas, and club remain open.

The listing notes that there’s “potential to grow and improve” the existing business or entirely redevelop the site.

Central Texas couple Chris and Sarah Denny opened the theater, at 1540 Satterwhite Rd., in 2018. Before construction started, cattle roamed the property.

The Dennys “took a chance on a shared dream and spent incredible time and effort perfecting the systems and layout that would provide unparalleled entertainment to audiences all over Central Texas,” the theater’s website says.

“Inspired by the drive-in movie theater experience at the height of drive-in popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, Chris and Sarah decided that, in the spirit of Austin’s free-thinking culture, they would upgrade their drive-in to include so much more.”

The Dennys announced the project in 2017.

“Drive-in theaters now offer only one thing: movies. With Doc’s Drive-In Theatre, we want to create an immersive film experience for individuals and families. Guests can come for a movie but stay overnight, and we will provide the amenities expected from comfortable accommodations,” Chris Denny said at the time.

Drive-in movies became one of the biggest pandemic-time trends of 2020.

Now, the Dennys are selling the drive-in following their move last year to San Marcos and the recent arrival of their baby.

“While they would love for the legacy of the business to continue with the next owner, the property itself is so special and versatile that the new owners will be able to adapt the space to make it their own,” says Ezra Cruz, who shares the listing with Douglas Elliman Realty colleague Michael Reisor.

Doc’s Drive-In Theatre recently debuted on the market at a list price of nearly $4 million.

Courtesy of Ben Brennan with Foto ATX for Douglas Elliman Realty

Doc’s Drive-In Theatre recently debuted on the market at a list price of nearly $4 million.

movies home-for-sale

No Cap

Dallas was a top-10 destination for Gen Zers on the move for 2023

Photo by Lance Asper on Unsplash

Who wouldn't want to live in a Gen Z paradise like Dallas?

As Gen Z enters adulthood, many are flocking to the nation's biggest cultural hubs like New York City, Los Angeles — and now Dallas, which had the ninth-highest inflow of Gen Zers in 2023.

Dallas' new reputation as a Gen Z hotspot was unveiled in a recent report by American home improvement brand This Old House, which analyzed migration trends across multiple generations using 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data.

Dallas saw an influx of 13,770 Gen Z residents last year to become the generation's No. 9 most popular city. That's 4,223 more Gen Zers than the net migration rate from 2022, the report found.

Real estate marketplace Zillow seems to agree on a statewide scale, declaring Texas as the No. 1 destination for Gen Zers on the move in 2024.

However, as Gen Z Dallasites may have learned, it's going to take a big bite out of their paychecks to live in such a highly sought after city. A March RentCafe housing cost analysis predicted Gen Z adults living in Dallas are likely to spend over $149,000 on rent by the time they are 30 years old.

While Dallas saw big gains in its Gen Z population last year, many other big cities saw a mass exodus. Plano, for example — which gained 1,295 Gen Z residents in 2022 — lost 4,028 Gen Zers in 2023, the report discovered.

The biggest Gen-Z exodus was in El Paso, with a drop of 5,607 — "a sharp turn from 2022 when the city saw an increase," the report said. "Other cities, including Plano, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; McKinney, Texas; and Wichita, Kansas, are seeing similar declines."

"Gen X, baby boomers, and the Silent Generation are also moving away from major cities, particularly New York City and Washington, D.C.," the report said. "They’re heading to some of the same cities as Gen Z, including Houston and Jacksonville, Florida."

The top 10 cities that gained the most Gen Z residents in 2023 are:

No. 1 – New York City, New York
No. 2 – Los Angeles, California
No. 3 – Houston, Texas
No. 4 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. 5 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 6 – San Diego, California
No. 7 – Seattle, Washington
No. 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 9 – Dallas, Texas
No. 10 – Minneapolis, Minnesota

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