A couple years ago I was down in Longview, Washington visiting some friends of the family. The town had long been in decline since the collapse of the local lumber industry, but the local movie theatre was still doing decent business, despite the recent competition from the DVD/PvR/Video on Demand/Home Entertainment systems that had been crippling the profits of many other small mom and pop theatres.
Their secret? Booze. That’s what I learned from the Kelso Theatre Pub’s owner (a big bull of a man who’d returned recently from a stint oversees in the marines). The secret to the theatre’s success, according to him anyway, was the ability to serve beer, pizza and other pubby foods to patrons while they watched their favorite flicks. The whole theatre was decked out with large coaches in the balcony and tables in front of the seating for easy-pizza access. It was brilliant. So why can’t BC do the same thing?
The Rio - courtesy of Christopher Richmond
Turns out we now can – sort of! Weirdly enough (considering his portfolio), this week Rich Coleman, Minister of Energy and Mines (what he has to do with liquor regulation is beyond me) announced a change in the Province’s licensing. Provided it’s an”adult-only event” in the auditorium – I guess that means NC-17 rated movies (nothing tastes better with horrible violent or rampant sex scenes than a cold frosty one) you can drink booze in theatres. Here are the specifics according to a recent Vancouver Sun article:
Multiplex theatres will now be allowed to apply for a licence to serve alcohol in “adult-only auditoriums and adjacent lobbies.” Single-screen and live theatres will now be allowed to apply for a licence to serve alcohol in lobbies, if minors are present, and in auditoriums, if it’s an adult-only event
Big thanks go out to the Rio (my favourite little neighbourhood theatre), Denman Cinemas and undoubtedly countless others (props to Councillor Heather Deal and MLAs Spencer Chandra Herbert and Jenny Kwan) who made this happen.
Now we can finely drink a beer while we watch a movie at the same time. CRAZINESS!
Header image by pocius