Like Burt's 'Jack Horner', the people who made them saw their work as erotic art shot on film with actual storylines. But they were a small, almost undergound, group. That was then. Two decades later, hardcore films have moved above ground. The Adult Video News says rentals and sales will run over 4 billion dollars this year.
Home video IS the big reason for the success.
Viewers no longer must enter undesirable theatres. They watch in the comfort of home. Adult movies are becoming more and more accepted now. So, more and more women are watching. Videos were being shot in a day or two.