Throwback Thursday movies are trying to make their way out of the past and into University Program Council movie nights.

At the beginning of the fall semester, UPC planned to present three movies a month: Movie Monday, Throwback Thursday and Film Friday. UPC planned to show older films most current UNA students grew up watching.

While Movie Monday and Film Friday have been successful, UPC has not shown a Throwback Thursday movie.

“This is a great example of what happens when you shoot for the stars and land in the clouds,” said UPC Vice President Adam McCollum.

The contract the university has with swank.com, an online movie distributor, prevents UPC from accessing older movies, said UPC Movies and Novelties Chair Winston Barton.

“Whenever you show a movie with over 20 viewers you have to purchase the rights, so that’s where swank.com comes in,” Barton said.

He said UPC still hopes to show Throwback Thursday movies on campus if they can purchase the rights to older movies on swank.com.

“We’re going to try to get a Robin Williams movie for March,” he said. “If we can find it on swank, we are 100 percent going to, but again it’s pretty much out of our control.”

The university’s contract with swank.com allows students to see movies before they come out on DVD, Barton said.

“We would really like to show the new ‘Star Wars’ movie in April,” Barton said. “Swank is very good for newer movies.”

While Throwback Thursday movies have been unsuccessful so far, he said UPC is improving movie nights for students.

“We’re trying to ramp (movie nights) up in terms of quality,” Barton said. “We’re trying to really push better novelties, and the stuff that (the students) will receive will be of a much higher quality because we have gotten a boost in our funding. They’re getting a better experience going to the movies then they have in the past.”

Due to an increase in student enrollment for the fall and spring semesters, UPC received more funds from the Student Activity Fee, McCollum said in a previous article.

Students received crewneck sweatshirts at the last Movie Monday event featuring “Selma.” Future novelties include blankets and sweatsuits, Barton said.

On average, 150 to 180 students attend the movie nights, Barton said.

Senior Richard Allen Stubbs said he went to the UPC’s presentation of “Inside Out” and thought it was fun.

Stubbs said he would like to see UPC present “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Independence Day” as a throwback film for Movie Mondays or Film Fridays.

Senior Sally Stone said she enjoys going to the movie nights and would like to see UPC present a throwback film.

“Everyone loves seeing films that are cause for nostalgia,” Stone said. “I love going because it’s something free, on campus and friends from all over campus come together.”