Sales of alcohol at Muvico hits temporary snag

Muvico patrons expecting to enjoy an alcoholic beverage with their movie experience have been disappointed ever since the state Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) office for Ventura County temporarily halted the sale of alcoholic beverages at the cineplex a few weeks ago.

But for now, at least, weekend moviegoers won't have to worry. The ABC has extended an authorization that allows Muvico to serve alcohol through a caterer with an alcohol license while the theater waits for its own license to come through.

That's how the movie theaters had been serving alcohol since opening on Feb. 27. But late last month, the theater company ran out of catering authorizations and the ABC wasn't so sure its permanent application, submitted on Jan. 16, was going to go through, said ABC district manager Leslie Pond.

"We weren't sure about their ownership, but that's been worked out," Pond said.

Now that the license is back on track, the ABC has allowed Muvico catering authorization for weekends until the end of April, Pond said.

"We're very careful how we approve catering authorizations to make sure companies don't use them to get around a permanent permit," Pond said.

The permanent permit isn't easy to get and it requires public notification, he said.

A company is generally allowed only 24 catering authorizations a year. Those authorizations, each good for a single day, are meant to bridge the gap that may occur between applying for a permanent permit and receiving one.

It usually takes 60 to 120 days to get a permit approved, but lately, with the state budget crisis requiring employee furloughs, it's been taking longer, Pond said.

"Muvico has been doing really well in Thousand Oaks," company spokesperson Rita Hollingsworth said.

Ticket sales are good as people flock to experience Thousand Oaks' only cinema center with stadium seating.

The 107,930-square-foot, three-story Muvico Theater opened at The Oaks mall with 14 auditoriums equipped with Southern California's only Sony 4K ultrahighdefinition projection. Four of the auditoriums have 3-D capability.

Premier seating is available in one allpremier 202seat theater and two premier balcony seating auditoriums with 136 seats each. Premier seating means people over 21 years old get large, plush seats with wider armrests for food and, when available, alcoholic beverages from Bogart's Bar and Grill.

Before 4 p.m. general admission for adults is $9.50; after 4 p.m. the cost is $11. For seniors age 55 and up and children 12 and under, the cost is $8.50 per ticket for general admission at any time.

For $1 more, movie patrons can have reserved seating that includes a giant screen, leather seating and more legroom in selected theaters.

For those 21 and over, premier admission includes reserved seating and popcorn for $16 before 4 p.m. and $20 after 4 p.m. All 3-D features cost an extra $3.