Billy Jack - The Movie That Changed Movie Marketing

After a disappointing initial release, where it only grows two million dollars, director and star tom laughlin sued warner brothers for misdistribution of the movie. He won the lawsuit, forcing the studio to make huge television adbis. Laughlin also fore walled the movie all over the country. Fore walling is when you buy out the entire movie house for a flat fee. The theatre keeps the concession money, but the producer or studio keeps all the ticket sales. Billy jack would go on to gross the equivalent of 630 million dollars to day. It was a roundhouse kick to hollywood's conventional wisdom, and the whole industry took note.