Ordering a cocktail at the movies could soon be a reality at New Jersey movie theaters, as a new bill advancing through Trenton aims to make it happen.
The Assembly Oversight, Reform, and Federal Relations Committee voted 4-2 Thursday to advance a bill that would allow for-profit movie theaters to purchase liquor licenses, permitting them to sell alcohol to patrons during film screenings and in the two hours before them. The bill now heads to the Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee.
Under the legislation, theaters could purchase a liquor license from their host municipality for $210,000—dropping to $150,000 if at least 10% of the alcohol sold is produced by a New Jersey brewery, winery, or distillery, according to New Jersey Monitor. Importantly, these liquor licenses would be exempt from population-based limits—separate from the existing pool of available licenses.
Proponents of the bill argue that it’s a lifeline for an industry that’s never fully recovered from the pandemic, or the rise of streaming. “It will be another means to get people into the movie theater,” said bill sponsor, Assemblywoman Maureen Rowan.
Not everyone is on board. The New Jersey Licensed Beverage Association argued the new licenses would devalue existing ones, which often go for hundreds of thousands—sometimes millions—of dollars. Other bill critics argue it will take liquor sales away from local restaurants.
Without a Senate companion, the bill still has a ways to go until becoming law. But for everyone who’s ever wanted a beer with their popcorn—or a glass of wine with their Raisinets—it’s a step in the right direction.