I came across the following information on the films and why they are considered significant in the evolution of movie promotion (especially low budget and independent films):

""The more important movie of the series was Billy Jack. (Billy Jack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) The distributors were playing the usual games of the time, refusing to release, delaying release, etc. Laughlin, in a fit of rage and a brilliant move, took the film private and did a variation of the "roadshow engagement" where he would target an area, spend huge amounts in pre-opening publicity, build the hype, and bring the print into town for a limited engagement of a few days or a week. However, instead of the usual roadshow idea of limited showings, he ran the film "grind" (all day and evening) to maximize the number of people in the seats while minimizing overhead. Instead of sharing a percentage with the theatre owners, he literally rented the auditorium and staff for a fixed fee. When Wiki says the first release of it failed at the boxoffice, part of that "failure" is that the system wasn't set up for proper recording of receipts and expenses from an independent like this. Grosses information wasn't reported to distribs, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot more cash money was made than was ever reported.

The more important aspect is that this model became one used by a number of film-makers. Wilderness Family, and a number of nature film, low budget adventure, and skiing and surfboarding films were "released" using the same technique. The Wilderness films in particular fed into the "back-to-the-land" movement of the 1970s, and undoubtedly had some impact on the ecological movement.

In an odd way, the popularity of the film owes a lot to pornography. The first film to successfully use the huge publicity/ theatre rental idea was I Am Curious, Yellow.""

harry chickpea,Location: Somewhere in northern Alabama:
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