New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s nanny-esque attempt to ban large soda sales is having an impact on the nation’s movie houses.
Movie theater owners and operators expressed fear of future regulations that would hurt their bottom lines during a Wednesday panel at the CinemaCon event in Las Vegas. And they don’t see Bloomberg’s handiwork as helping people stay healthy. In fact, some argue the goal isn’t slimmer waist lines but bigger coffers.
“[These] taxations are truly money grabs by the government”, Cinemark Food & Beverage VP Bob Shimmin said at a CinemaCon panel this morning. “They’re not trying to make people healthier, they’re trying to balance their budgets.”
Bloomberg’s soda ban got nixed by a New York State Supreme Court last month, but the mayor vows to fight on.