The burgeoning Deadpool series is no stranger to all sorts of contention and debate. It's an R-rated romp that leans on its vulgar sensibilities, and that tends to grab attention and headlines. This tendency for controversy has even led to some legal battles over the course of the last year, but now it looks like a movie theater that got in trouble for serving alcohol during Deadpool's sex scenes has won a major victory in court.
As a state with a large Mormon population, laws related to the sale of alcohol in Utah are generally stricter than other parts of the United States. In the face of those regulations, Brewvies (a movie theater chain that doubles as a pub) found itself in trouble last year when it served alcohol during Deadpool -- thus going against the state law dictating that such an establishment cannot serve alcohol in conjunction with sexually explicit content. As a result, the state threatened the theater with a $25,000 penalty as a potential punitive measure. However, a report from Statesman confirms that a U.S. judge has struck down this legal complaint on the grounds that it violates the chain's First Amendment rights.
The law applies more towards strip clubs and similar "adult" establishments. However, as Brewvies is not an inherently adult-oriented establishment, the law doesn't necessarily apply in this case. The theater is just as likely to show a screening of a family-friendly PG film as it is to show a movie like Deadpool, which means that it doesn't fall under the same banner as a strip club.
This Deadpool controversy has expanded beyond the Utah state border since the situation unfolded last year. In fact, it even made its way to Deadpool star (and eternal smartass) Ryan Reynolds, who personally donated $5,000 to go towards Brewvies' legal expenses. In addition to this Utah-based legal battle, similar cases have popped up in recent years, such as a similar incident involving alcohol sales during a showing of Fifty Shades of Grey in an Idaho movie theater -- which eventually resulted in the repeal of that particular Idaho law.
This win isn't just a win for Brewvies; it's a massive victory for movie theater chains as a whole. With ticket sales and movie theater attendance dipping, theaters have had to innovate and find new ways to draw in customers. In the quest for a definitive solution to declining attendance, alcohol has quietly become a major secret weapon for theaters as more and more chains opt to pick up liquor licenses. Insiders have said that alcohol sales tend to correlate to increased concession sales for cinemas, which means the sale of beer, wine, and liquor is significant for the bottom line.
Something tells us that the controversies related to the Deadpool franchise won't stop anytime soon. The series obviously gets lots of enjoyment out of ruffling feathers, and all eyes are on the highly anticipated sequel to do the same when it debuts in theaters next year. With that in mind, make sure to watch for Deadpool 2 when Wade Wilson's next adventure premieres on the silver screen on June 1, 2018! Here's everything that we currently know about the X-Men universe sequel.
