The response of Hollywood was to embrace some of this material. A landmark move was the decision by Columbia to distribute Easy Rider (1969), a project originally destined to become another biker picture for AIP. The success of Easy Rider helped convince the studios to invest in a new generation of filmmakers seen to be more in touch with the youth audience affected by the 1960s counterculture. Hollywood learned other lessons from the independents in this period. Along with a number of foreign imports, independent features demonstrated the box-office appeal of more racy, controversial or ‘adult’ material, encouraging the adoption.
