New Jersey voters aren’t exactly raising a glass to the idea of buying alcohol at the movies.
A new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll found that 55% of registered voters oppose a bill that would make it easier for New Jersey movie theaters to sell alcohol, compared to just 38% in support, according to New Jersey Monitor.
Opposition cuts across party lines, with majorities of Democrats (54%), unaffiliated voters (53%), and Republicans (61%) all opposed to the legislation. Only one age group backed the idea: 58% of voters aged 31 to 44 supported alcohol sales at theaters.
“Voters just seem to be very skeptical of changes to liquor licenses, even relatively small ones like this,” said Dan Cassino, executive director of the FDU Poll. “This is a big deal for theater owners, but there isn’t any appetite in the public for having alcohol more available.”
The poll comes two months after NJ Digest first reported on the legislation’s advancement through committee in May. The bill would create a new type of liquor license specific to movie theaters, priced at $210,000—or $150,000 if at least 10% of the alcohol sold comes from New Jersey breweries, wineries, or distilleries. Unlike traditional retail liquor licenses, which face strict population-based limits and can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, these theater-specific licenses would exist outside that capped pool.
Theater operators have argued the change could help an industry still reeling from the pandemic and the continued rise of streaming. Assemblywoman Maureen Rowan, the bill’s sponsor, called it “another means to get people into the movie theater” when the bill cleared committee in May.
Opponents, including the New Jersey Licensed Beverage Association, warn that creating a new class of licenses exempt from the population cap could devalue existing licenses that owners have paid heavily for. Similar concerns helped sink former Gov. Phil Murphy’s earlier push to eliminate the state’s one-license-per-3,000-residents limit altogether.
The bill has cleared the Assembly but has yet to gain a Senate companion. For now, moviegoers hoping for a cocktail with their popcorn will have to keep waiting.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.