BOOZE BOOSTS TICKET SALES

Movie theaters selling liquor, wine and beer, while offering gourmet snacks and luxury seating, have proved to be successful in Southern California and may pave the way for similar theaters in other areas of the country, the Los Angeles Times observed today (Wednesday). Cinépolis theaters, operated by Mexico’s largest movie chain, said that liquor sales now account for about 10 percent of its total revenue. "We were thinking, what don’t you currently get at a movie theater?" Adrian Mijares Elizondo, chief executive of Cinepolis USA, told the Times. "Alcohol has been very well received by some of our adult guests who enjoy having a beer or a glass of wine when watching a movie, just like you would when watching a movie in your home." IPic Theaters, which operates 10 theaters, hired mixologist Adam Seger to develop drinks for the theaters. "We’re doing things that you don’t see at top cocktail bars," said Hamid Hashemi, CEO of iPic Entertainment. "Frankly, alcohol sales is for us what popcorn is to traditional theaters." And George Patterson, senior vice president of food and beverages for AMC, the second-largest theater chain, told the Times, &quotWe did a little research a couple of years ago and found that adult consumers might consider coming back to the movie business if alcohol was offered. … Guests love it. A glass of wine really improves a bad movie."