Reps for parent company American Multi-Cinema Inc. received administrative approval from Community Board 3 this month for a beer-wine license at 66 Third Ave. (Here's the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website.)
Presumably, it will be a similar operation as the AMC on 19th and Broadway, the Regal Union Square or Regal Essex Crossing ... where there's a small bar to either sit before-after a film or to purchase a drink to bring into the auditorium.
Given the paperwork involved with the State Liquor Authority, it will likely be several more months before any bar is up and running at the theater.
Last November, Village East by Angelika on Second Avenue and 12th Street received approval to sell beer-wine at a lobby cafe. That service hasn't arrived just yet.
In January, the State Liquor Authority ruled that movie theaters could now apply for beer and wine licenses, with consumption allowed in seats — not just from a lobby bar-cafe... ending a years-long debate about alcohol in theaters.
Of course, theaters in NYC like Nitehawk and Alamo Drafthouse have already been doing this for years. Under the state's former guidelines, operators could only sell booze if they also had a commercial kitchen for preparing food and an individual table for customers at their seats. Others were able to serve alcohol at bars in their lobbies under a separate license but not in theaters themselves.
We've come a long way from 2012 when CB3 — responding to resident concerns — rejected an application from Landmark Theaters for a full liquor license at the Sunshine Cinema on Houston Street.
Ted Mundorff, president and CEO of Landmark Theaters, told IndieWire at the time: "That was pretty shortsighted of folks… It's not like theaters that have alcohol have people falling down [drunk]."
The denial of alcohol sales from a lobby cafe (where they served slices from Two Boots) set in motion a series of events that saw the closure of the cinema in January 2018. Without the revenue boost, the theater chain decided against renegotiating the lease, and the building was sold and demolished to make way for a 9-story office complex.
24 comments:
Great news. The death of Sunshine on the back of tenant boards refusing an alcohol license at least galvanized some change to help other theaters.
Can't wait to the day I can get a cocktail while visiting the Post Office on 14th Street, woo !
Good news. Excellent reportage. Thank you, EVG.
Why not!
Just great - with cell phones going off and people talking away, this just adds fuel to the fire. Thanks but no thanks
I haven't experienced any issues at theaters where people can buy drinks and bring them into the auditorium.
I recall the iPic at the Seaport being annoying with the full waiter service for the premium seats during a movie.
I work as a bartender and waiter on the LES. I interface with a lot of clientele who are inebriated with the consumption of just wine and beer. Voices become louder aside their friends and dates, which can often ruin the ambiance for other paying customers. It depends on the situation, but I've witnessed crazy shit when people have consumed a lot of alcohol in a short amount of time, and there is nothing I or the manager can do in defusing that situation unless we have to kick them out, which does happen when they can't stand up, are belligerent towards staff and fellow guests, throw glasses at walls, lunge at others, etc. I have no objection to the distribution of beer and wine in public spaces overall. I've visited numerous countries in the EU where serving beer and wine in a cinema is normal, where people are civilized. The US is vastly different. My concern is the individual, how much they consume, and if it will effect staff who have to be monitors of other their behavior. Drunken individuals can become downright obnoxious and disrespectful. If I paid twenty dollars for a ticket to a movie and some jerk started getting louder and ruder to others while during a film, I'd be furious, and wonder why I didn't stream it at home. Perhaps I am being hyperbolic. Not certain this is the best idea. Let's see how this works out.
If you haven't noticed, theaters are dying. Hopefully this helps them stay alive, I'm still pissed Sunshine disappeared.
Drinking beer and wine at a theater is nothing like going out to a bar. How many times over the course of a movie can someone get a refill? Enough to get inebriated in a 2 hour period? Sure it's possible, but I highly doubt it'll become commonplace where it disrupts your experience. If you've ever seen a movie at the Alamo Draft House, you know it's not much of a problem.
We might still have Sunshine Cinema if people had come to this conclusion years ago. Movie theaters are going to have a tough time staying in operation now that people have gotten used to watching first screenings of movies at home. Lend them a hand, let them sell beer and wine at an outrageous price to people who want a drink at the theater. It will likely keep them around longer.
@ 10:38...
Spot on assessment. It begs the question, what's to stop legal friends from purchasing alcoholic beverages for their younger compatriots? Also, are we now going to require "bouncers" to work at movie theaters?
@10:38am: I appreciate hearing your experience and thoughts about this, b/c you've been in the "trenches" and know what it's like.
IMO, if someone needs booze to enjoy a movie, they have a problem. It's already bad enough that people talk and make phone calls, etc. during movie showings.
I guess the theaters figure the markup on booze is more important for their bottom line than any ticket sales money.
I won't be going to a movie theater maybe ever again, unless perhaps they institute "sober showings" where no booze is available. I'm not spending that kind of money to have an unpredictable audience experience. People are crazy enough as it is, and I can picture people getting drunk & then getting into fights or worse -- and I'm not going to be part of the 'captive audience' for anything like that.
If you're worried about people having a glass of wine or beer during a movie, then go to early screenings when the lobby bar isn't open yet.
Drink wine and beer at home or at a restaurant or bar. Movie theaters should stick to selling overpriced, greasy popcorn, candy, watered down soft drinks, and stale nachos.
There's nothing much-stopping people from sneaking in booze to a movie screening. Several couples brought packs of white claw to a Halloween Ends screening on Friday night. They ended up not being annoying as I first feared.
At the Essex Crossing Regal, the issue isn't the drinks, it's the kids busting out vape pens or joints in the middle of the show (!). The one situation in which weed is actually more likely to cause problems than alcohol.
I imagine the price point will be quite high, like everything else at a movie theatre. Folks will prob just stick to one or two drinks during a movie, not get hammered like some of you overreactors think it will be
I only go to showings that are 3-4 in the afternoon or earlier so I don’t think this will affect me at all
This is great news for alcoholics and for movie theaters who are struggling to stay afloat. I confess that I have smuggled adult beverages into movies a few times. What I’ve noticed is that I don’t enjoy the movie as much due to dulled senses and a foggy brain. You might need to see the movie again so find out what you missed while you were drinking. It’s better to stick to salty snacks and sugary drinks to keep you alert and awake during the movie and and have a drink afterwards. But if the movie is really boring like Power of the Dog,The Last Duel or Chinatown, alcohol is highly recommended If you want to make it all the way to the credits.
One thing I love about having a poor memory is that I can watch the same movie over and over and love it every time.
Coming Soon to a Theater near you: Mushrooms, Smoke, and an Ayahausca Lounge. Because sometimes you just need a little extra sensory enhancement before or after the show.
@Giovanni
"But if the movie is really boring like .... Chinatown"
You're adorable! LOL
It's NYC, EV to be more precise, where transplants, transients, tourists, NYU kids, think they can do whatever they want that they aren't allowed to do where they came from. Alcohol in theater would just exacerbate that unruly repressed behavior they want to exude.
I mean, just look at the patrons at the bars in the neighborhood, they're loud. But are they as loud if they were drinking in their own local neighborhood bar in their neighborhood? Their mentality is "this is NYC, I can do whatever they want! You want quiet, then move to the suburbs". Can't wait during Santa Con where SantaConners will be spilling into the AMC when they are turned away from 13th Step or bars that reject them.
Good point 10:56 PM
I think it's an awful idea. Beer and wine should continue to be served in bars and restaurants. Not a movie theater. Many people are already annoying whether they are having a loud conversation with the person sitting next to them or checking their phone with the brightness of their screen hindering another person's experience or when they are yelling at the screen during a pivotal scene. My former roommate did this years ago where he would sneak in booze and get drunk at the movies. He didn't even remember what he saw when the credits rolled up and was sloppy arising from his seat. Perhaps what could be next for the movie theater is the sales and distribution of legalized 420. Honestly, if one wants to drink a glass of alcohol or smoke a joint during a film, enjoy but, please do it at home. I am only in my thirties, but probably sound like someone's father as I opine about this. Apologies. I just think there are times and places for things. Let's stick to the basics of soda, popcorn, and candy during the attendance of a movie where we can remain civilized and respectful to the patrons around us.
Landmark Theatres being denied a liquor license for the Sunshine and what subsequently happened to that building still makes my blood boil.
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