August 8th, 1986, filmmaker Spike Lee’s first feature film, “She’s Gotta Have It” opened at the Cinema Studio One in New York City. The film, about one woman juggling the pros and cons between three lovers, earned rave reviews and lines around the block until it expanded nationwide by November in 1986. Spike made the film for a paltry $175,000 and it ended up earning back a little more than $7 million in box office receipts. At the time of its release, “She’s Gotta Have It” put black cinema on the forefront of pop culture and ushered in a new wave of prominent black filmmakers. The success of “She’s Gotta Have It” birthed a flourishing career for Spike and birthed a pop culture icon in his character Mars Blackmon. Blackmon would go on to be reincarnated in popular Nike Air Jordan ads and flip the whole script on footwear marketing forever.

@MRMARIN88