Wait, these hosers get to have beers, but we don't?!

When I talked with Mike and Connie Olson right after they took over the Grengs Theater empire, he mentioned exciting possibilities like adding a screen to the Gemini Drive-In and selling beer at the Downtown Cinema. Well we haven’t heard any more rumors about the Gemini changing in the near future, but we have heard the possibility of alcohol at downtown Eau Claire’s two-screen budget complex.

From the Leader-Telegram:

(Mike Olson) said he probably wouldn't try to obtain a beer or liquor license for the two larger, family-oriented theaters he operates in Chippewa Falls and on Eau Claire's south side, but he would consider trying to obtain a liquor license for his downtown Eau Claire budget theater.

"In the right application, it might be something to pursue," Olson said. "We're in the movie business, not the bar business."

Olson said his goal is to renovate the upstairs screen in the downtown theater and have it show art films; an alcohol license would be a good fit for that venue, he said.

"If we have the right movies upstairs, and we had alcohol, and sales were controllable, that could work for us," Olson said.

 The issue arose because a provision in the state’s budget bill (debate will start on it next week) would allow movie theaters to apply for Class B liquor or beer licenses. And either the L-T is drumming up controversy, or some legislators (like Kristen Hildebrand) want to see this stopped in its tracks.

I hate to burst bubbles, but this is:

1) already happening at movie theaters (especially arthouse and budget ones) all over the world.

2) happening at movie theaters with restaurants within our very state (The Rivoli in La Crosse and Sundance Cinemas in Madison).

3) not that big of a deal.

The “controversy” (at least in Hildebrand’s eyes) seems to be the lack of accountability “once the lights go down.” Meaning, how do we know someone of age isn’t handing beers to minors in the theater?

I hate to burst bubbles, but:

1) this can currently happen at liquor store parking lots and summer festivals.

2) you’ve clearly never been to a movie where young people snuck in booze, because it’s never a secret for very long and often someone complains and an usher puts a stop to it.

To me, the only thing to worry about is more distracting people in the theater and the possibility that some people will ruin a movie-going experience even more than they already do with their iPhone glow, make-out sessions, and kicking your seat. But, realistically, if this goes through, the novelty of it will fade quite fast and, eventually, we won’t know the difference. Now, if you’re doing midnight showings of Rocky Horror and Big Lebowski, that’s another story altogether …