Alejandro Jodorowsky’s notorious cult film is credited with starting the theatrical midnight movie trend. Knowing the psychedelic Western laced with sex, violence, and religious iconography would appeal to a counterculture audience, the Elgin Theater in New York City booked midnight screenings of El Topo seven nights a week, where it ran continuously from December 1970 through June 1971 with no paid advertising. The film did not receive a major distribution deal in the United States, but the word-of-mouth success garnered from the Elgin Theater screenings led to cinemas across the country booking the film in the same midnight timeslot, which remained the only way to see the film for many years.