drive-in vs drive-in theatre

drive-in

noun
  • An outdoor cinema where movies are projected onto a large screen and patrons watch from inside their vehicles, listening either by a speaker or a designated radio frequency. 

  • A restaurant where patrons remain in their vehicles to consume their meals; the meal may be ordered and delivered to one's vehicle by a carhop waiter; or may require patrons to use a service counter. The cars in the parking lot serve as the patrons' dining room, there being a lack of dining rooms and tables. 

  • A drive-through restaurant where patrons remain in their vehicles and order food and beverages via a speaker phone; the meal is delivered by a service window accessible by car. 

adj
  • Providing service to patrons who remain in their automobiles. 

drive-in theatre

noun
  • A drive-in cinema; Pedantic form of drive-in. 

  • An outdoor theatre, suitable for concerts, stageplays, and the like; with a parking lot where patrons can drive into, to watch the show from their cars. These have become more common with the need for social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic. 

How often have the words drive-in and drive-in theatre occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )