El Topo - Release

Release

There was no original intention to show El Topo in Mexico, where it was filmed and produced. Ben Barenholtz, an owner of a local theater called The Elgin saw a private screening of El Topo at the Museum of Modern Art. Barenholtz recalled that despite several audience members walking out, he was fascinated by El Topo. On a failing attempt to purchase the American rights to the film, Barenholtz convinced the producer to have the film shown at midnight at The Elgin. Barenholtz chose the late showings of 1am on Friday and at Midnight during the week which would give audiences a sense of "self-discovery". The film premiered on December 17, 1970 and ran continuously seven days a week until the end of June 1971. The film was distributed across the United States with the assistance of Allen Klein, manager of The Beatles. The film was shown late at night like it was at The Elgin. It has been argued that without support from people like John Lennon and Allen Klein, the film would not have found a sizeable audience.