This drive-in theater was built and opened in 1953 by J. L. LeDuc. The drive in opened as the US-2 Drive-In and changed to Cinema Two in 1972 when LeDuc sold it to David Vaughan who operated it along with a new hard top, Cinema One. Vaughan sold both theaters to William Giles in 1995. Closing in 2001, the Cinema Two Drive-In Theater was the last drive-in throughout the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The drive-in sat mostly dormant for the next 15 years until the founding members of the Upper Peninsula Film Union began talks of re-opening the drive-in for select showings in the summer of 2016. With permission from the property owner, the first movie was shown on the big screen in over 15 years on July 15th, 2016. There were three events during the first season culminating in the now community favorite, Fright Night, the weekend before Halloween. In 2018, the first annual Hwy 2 Labor Day Weekend event was held boasting a car theme to coincide with the annual Manistique Car Show.
Highway 2 Community Drive-In Theater
US-2 | Manistique, Michigan
Experience history at the ONLY drive-in theater in Michigan's Upper Peninsula!
Highway 2 Community Drive-In Theater
5885W US Highway 2 - Manistique, Michigan 49854 (across from Schoolcraft County Airport)
Opened 1953 (US-2 Drive-In)
The Highway 2 Community Drive In Theater is the last drive in theater in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is a nonprofit theater owned and operated by the Upper Peninsula Film Union. Each season the theater hosts free community movie events and allows other nonprofits to operate the concession stand to help raise money for their cause.
2026 Season Schedule
Will you be able to join us this season at the UP’s last drive-in movie theater? We certainly hope so. Check out our season schedule below and start making plans now to visit The Highway 2 Community Drive In Theater in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. All drive-in movie events are free to the public due to generous sponsors and the concession stand is run by a different non-profit organization during each event to be used as a fundraiser.
In October 2018, the Upper Peninsula Film Union acquired the property and changed the name to the Highway 2 Community Drive-In Theater. This change was designed to reflect the new model being used by the Film Union. The drive-in property had now become a true community space for all to use. The Film Union now owns and operates the drive-in for select showings throughout the summer and fall seasons. The 2023 and 2024 seasons brought more improvements to the building including an updated projector and a newly painted screen affording a far superior viewing experience for everyone!
2025 brought the special 10th season. Many fun activities were planned including a concert, drum aerobics, face painting, bouncy houses, activities for the kids, a "sock hop" and the annual favorite Trunk-or-Treat! We have now celebrated a decade of fun at the Highway 2 Community Drive In Theater!
The Highway 2 Community Drive-In Theater concession stand is run by a different non-profit during each drive-in movie event. To date, over $50,000 has been raised in the concession stand of the Highway 2 Community Drive-In Theater, directly benefiting regional nonprofit organizations.
The U.P. Film Union is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation that was created out of a love of motion pictures with the primary goal of saving the last remaining drive-in theater in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, The Highway 2 Community Drive-In Theater. All donations the Film Union receive go directly toward keeping the theater alive and no one in the organization is compensated in any way for the countless hours they have spent making these events happen.
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