Wine list with your popcorn?

At the Somerville Theatre, patrons are now taking their popcorn with a chardonnay. The Davis Square theater's new beer and wine license makes it one of just a handful of theaters in the state that sell alcohol at the movies.

"I think it's great," said Brian Daigle, 25, as he ordered a Harpoon in the lobby last week at its new beer and wine counter. "It's just kind of like a recreational activity -- might as well be able to have a beer. It's nice that they have good beer, too, and not Budweiser."

General manager Ian Judge, who got a liquor license from the city last month, said offering wine and beer fits the personality of the theater. The five-cinema, family-owned business charges a $7 admission and often has movies playing at the same time it features a live concert.

Judge said that in the past, patrons have been dismayed that they couldn't have a beer at a folk show, and it has been a longstanding tradition for people to sneak beers into a movie. He also said some vendors decline to book entertainment at a dry venue, and the theater would like to book more comedians.

"We're trying to show people we're a nice, independent theater, and this is another way to highlight that," Judge said.

The theater partnered with Harpoon to sell beer for $4 a pint, and it offers a 5-ounce glass of white or red wine for $6. The drinks may be consumed in any of the five cinemas.

"We have a very upscale audience. It's a mature crowd who can enjoy one or two beers or wine with their movie," Judge said. "It's a sign of respect to the audience that we feel they can handle it."

To control alcohol consumption, he said, each customer who buys a drink is carded and given a bracelet.

Moviegoers are permitted to buy one beverage at a time, although there is no limit on the total number during a show. If someone seems to be buying too many drinks, the theater will refuse to serve him or her. Judge said he once refused to sell a second beer to a patron who drank his first one in 10 minutes and came back for another. Beer and wine sales end at 11 p.m.

"We don't want to be a bar," Judge said.

The Somerville Licensing Commission said a police officer will check the theater periodically. Judge said he plans to be vigilant about having ushers patrol to make sure no one is sharing alcohol with underage drinkers.

He said he doesn't expect underage drinking to be a big problem because the movies he shows for the most part do not appeal to teens.

The theater has company when it comes to selling liquor, including The Strand Theatre in Clinton, Stoughton Cinema Pub, and Chunky's Cinema Pub in Haverhill.

Judge said the FEI Theatres, which owns Somerville Theatre, has no plans to serve alcohol at its Arlington location, Capitol Theatre, which caters more to children with movies only, not live music.

Some moviegoers have just started noticing the alcohol. "Who needs candy when you can have beer?" Judge overheard one woman say.

"It's nice to be able to have an adult beverage and watch a movie," said Cullen Jones, a 30-year-old recently visiting Somerville from North Carolina.

Since starting to sell drinks April 6, the theater has sold more than 1,800 beers and 100 glasses of wine. The beverages were a hit at the Independent Film Festival of Boston, which featured movies at the theater last weekend.