Short answers, pulled from the story.
The B movie genre originated in 1927 with the film That Certain Thing, which cost less than twenty thousand dollars to produce. This tiny expenditure marked the birth of a new cinematic entity that would eventually dominate the American movie industry for decades.
In 1940, the average production cost of an American feature was four hundred thousand dollars. This figure represented a negligible increase over the previous ten years, yet the line between A and B movies remained ambiguous.
Roger Corman is known as the King of the Bs and he produced his first movie, Monster from the Ocean Floor, in 1956. He made this film on a twelve thousand dollar budget and a six-day shooting schedule.
The Production Code was officially scrapped in 1968 to be replaced by the first version of the modern rating system. That same year, films like Rosemary's Baby and Night of the Living Dead heralded new directions for American cinema.
The average expense of moviemaking hit eight point five million dollars in 1980. This cost had doubled from two million dollars to four million between 1961 and 1976, and then more than doubled again in just four years.
Troma Pictures was founded in 1974 and its best-known production is The Toxic Avenger. This film features a hideous hero affectionately known as Toxie, who was featured in three sequels, a 2023 reboot, and a TV cartoon series.