More than 400 movie theaters nationwide now sell alcohol, up from only 14 in 1997, despite concerns about drinking by underage moviegoers, USA Today reported March 26.

Patrick Cocoran, a spokesperson for the National Association of Theatre Owners, said that theaters are turning to alcohol sales in a bid to attract more 30- to 45-year-olds as overall ticket sales flatten out. Multiplex theaters also are installing lounge chairs and expanding dining options. "It's going to grow as communities begin to accept alcohol," said Cocoran.

However, some communities in California, Illinois and Idaho have opposed alcohol at the movies. A theater in Oceanside, Calif., for example, ran into problems when owners wanted to sell alcohol at night and admit only adults after 6 p.m.; Robin Van Dyke, a supervisor for the California Alcoholic Beverage Control agency, said the problem was that movies overlap and that kids could still be in the theater after drinking hours began.

"The boyfriend's 21 and the girlfriend's 19, and next thing you know, she's already had three drinks underage," said Alderman John Hanson, who opposed allowing a theater in Bloomington, Ill., to sell alcohol.

Some theaters have limited drinking to "21-plus" areas and sometimes charge an added fee for access; some theaters selling alcohol also are charging more per ticket than nearby competitors that lack a liquor license. Other theaters have simply declared their whole facility as adults-only, with kids admitted only when accompanied by their parents.