rious sorts, all to help recoup expenses and, if a film is very successful, to cash in to an even greater degree.
Theatrical exhibition is still a vital part of the film business, but in many ways it has changed in terms of the importance accorded it. At one time, of course, theatrical exhibition was the only goal for producers, who reaped their profits entirely from box office revenues. This is no longer the case. In the 1950s and into the 1960s, producers discovered television and the fact that they could sell their old films to television and make money from an entirely new market. Theatrical distribution was still the primary source of revenue, with television seen as an ancillary market that could produce added revenues. Indeed, some producers found that they could use television to create their film by selling the television rights in order to raise the money to make the film in the first place. This method is still used with reference to cable outlets that may put money into theatrical production in order to
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