Poll: Most NJ voters oppose bill easing alcohol sales at movie theaters
The legislation, Assembly Bill 4666, would allow movie theaters to obtain liquor licenses for between $150,000 and $210,000, depending on whether the theater is linked with a local brewery.
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Most New Jersey voters oppose a bill that would make it easier for movie theaters to sell alcohol, according to a new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson.
The poll found 38% of voters support changing the law to help theaters more easily acquire liquor licenses, while 55% are opposed.
The legislation, Assembly Bill 4666, would allow movie theaters to obtain liquor licenses for between $150,000 and $210,000, depending on whether the theater is linked with a local brewery. Theaters could acquire the licenses, regardless of whether licenses are otherwise available in their municipality.
The bill passed the Assembly last month and is now pending in the state Senate.
Some movie theaters already hold liquor licenses obtained through standard means, and special provisions already apply to nonprofit theaters.
Opponents argue the bill is unfair to theaters that already paid more than the bill’s price range for their licenses and say flooding the market with new licenses could reduce the value of licenses already held by restaurants.
Theater owners counter that alcohol sales could help keep them in business as ticket sales remain below pre-pandemic levels.
