DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – The weekly classic film series at the Million Dollar Theater is taking a break from showing films this week to help make some films.
Robert Voskanian, the managing operator of the theater at 307 S. Broadway said the films scheduled for Feb. 29, the thrillers Strait-Jacket and Homicidal directed by William Castle, were canceled because a short film is being shot at the venue that night.
The William Castle double-header will be rescheduled for a later date and the series will continue on schedule next week with the March 7 insect oriented double feature The Fly and Curse of the Fly at 7:30 p.m.
The weekly film series started last fall in partnership with the UCLA Film & Television Archive and was extended in January for another three months, with films screening every Wednesday through March 28.
Voskanian is hoping to turn it into a permanent weekly event and while he originally expected audiences of about 600 people, the response has been less enthusiastic with about 200 people showing up to see the films.
But Voskanian is still optimistic about the future of the event.
“Originally I was hoping to reach numbers in the 600s, but now I’d be happy with 350 to 400,” he said.
At 307 S. Broadway, (213) 617-3600 or milliondollartheater.com.