Dennis Hopper's directorial debut became a hugely influential movie, ushering in the New Hollywood era that saw numerous directors handed complete creative control within the studio system to make low-budget features. While Easy Rider is without a doubt an important and generation-defining movie, it also became a box office smash and ended up as one of the highest-grossing movies of 1969. Largely improvised and shot on a budget of just $360,000, Easy Rider would capture the imagination of the American public and would become the third biggest hit of the year at the domestic box office, earning $41.7m. Adjusted for inflation that equates to roughly $270m in today's currency. Although not quite as popular overseas, the movie is estimated to have earned a worldwide total of $60m, which is the equivalent of around $390m when adjusted for inflation. Not bad for a lo-fi psychedelic road movie.