One would think a movie about the adult film industry would have folks flocking to the theater. But the recent release of "Lovelace," which reportedly underperformed on its opening weekend, says otherwise. See some of Hollywood's other hits and misses with porn. 
Nicolas Cage stars as a private investigator who has to delve into the world of porn to solve a case in "8mm.'" The 1999 film co-stars Joaquin Phoenix. 
Before she was the subject of a biopic, Linda Lovelace appeared in the classic 1972 porn film "Deep Throat" which broke box office records. A 2005 documentary about the groundbreaking film fared well with critics and audiences. 
Ron Jeremy may be one of the most famous porn stars ever. He was featured in the 2001 documentary "Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy." 
Woody Harrelson and Courtney Love star in the 1996 film "The People vs. Larry Flynt" about the founder of Hustler magazine. 
In "Boogie Nights," Mark Wahlberg portrays porn actor Dirk Diggler. The 1997 movie also starred Burt Reynolds, Heather Graham, Don Cheadle and Julianne Moore. 
You are forgiven if you don't even remember "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star," released in 2011. The movie portrays a guy who discovers his reserved parents were former porn stars and tries to carry on the family business. It was widely panned and nominated for six Razzies. Star Nick Swardson co-wrote it with Adam Sandler and Allen Covert. 
Elisha Cuthbert makes a guy's dreams come true as a former porn star turned neighbor in 2004's "The Girl Next Door." 
Luke Wilson and Giovanni Ribisi star in "Middle Men," a 2009 movie about the rise of porn on the Internet. 
In the 2000 movie, "Rated X," Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen play real life brothers Jim and Artie Mitchell who made the profitable porn film "Behind the Green Door." 
The title of the 2008 film "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" sort of says it all. Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks star as a pair of roomies who decide to make a porn film to pay their bills. 
Val Kilmer plays porn star John Holmes in the 2003 movie "Wonderland," based on the case of the Wonderland murders that occurred in 1981. 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
- More than 10 years after her death, Linda Lovelace remains a porn icon
- Over the course of her career, she embraced and denounced "Deep Throat"
- Some, like Larry Flynt, believe Lovelace was used as a sex slave by her husband
(CNN) -- More than 10 years after her death, Linda Lovelace probably remains America's best known porn star (apologies to Jenna Jameson and Traci Lords). It's an unlikely distinction given that Lovelace -- by her own estimation -- only spent a total of two and a half weeks working in the adult film industry.
But those two and a half weeks included shooting "Deep Throat," the X-rated film that turned into a pop culture phenomenon after its release in 1972. It became the first adult film to cross over to mainstream audiences, earning an astounding $600 million.
There are many reasons the film became such a breakout hit. Some have described "Deep Throat" as the first porno film that attempted to tell a story, albeit a ludicrous one.
" 'Deep Throat' had a plot," said Darwin Porter, author of "Inside Linda Lovelace's Deep Throat: Degradation, Porno Chic and the Rise of Feminism." "I mean, not a great plot, but a plot.
"It had certain comedy overtones to it, too, and this was very unusual and bizarre (for a porno film at that time)," Porter told CNN.
New film explores 'Deep Throat' star 
Amanda Seyfried: 'I'm not against porn' 
James Deen co-stars with Lindsay Lohan in "The Canyons," playing Christian, a "film producer who enjoys filming his own three-way sex sessions," according to IndieWire. Deen has gained quite a fan following for his boy-next-door look and has been profiled by GOOD magazine and ABC's "Nightline". We take a look at some other adult movie stars who have transitioned into mainstream Hollywood. 
Sasha Grey made her entrance in the pornographic film industry just after she had turned 18. By 21, she had become a veteran and won several Adult Video News awards. Then in 2008, Steven Soderberg cast Grey in the feature film "The Girlfriend Experience." Since then she has starred in "Smash Cut," modeled for American Apparel, started her own industrial music group and even had a brief supporting role in "Entourage" in 2010. In April 2011, Grey announced her retirement from porn and is scheduled to appear in several upcoming films.
Ron Jeremy, also known as "The Hedgehog," is considered one of the most successful porn stars in the industry. Adult Video News even named him the No. 1 porn star of all time. While Jeremy holds the Guinness World Record for starring in more than 2,000 adult films, he has also starred in mainstream movies such as "The Boondock Saints" and "The Chase." In 2008, he released a book about his career, "The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz: Horny Women, Hollywood Nights & The Rise of the Hedgehog!" He recently spoke with CNN about his return to work after a heart scare.
Before Jenna Jameson starred in her first pornographic film in 1993, she had been a dancer at a strip club and had posed in Hustler, Penthouse and Cheri. By 1996, she had become a well-known star and got a minor role in Howard Stern's feature film "Private Parts." Since then, this former "queen of porn" has done guest voice-over work for "Family Guy" and has released a New York Times best-selling autobiography and created a horror comic book.
Traci Lords was underage when she appeared in her first pornographic movie. She went on to make more than 100 adult films by the time she was 18 and even stripped for Penthouse magazine. Lords was eventually arrested and many of her "hits" became illegal. She left the industry and would go on to appear B-movies and TV shows such as "Roseanne," "Melrose Place," "Married... With Children," "MacGyver" and "Gilmore Girls." Lords also had roles in movies "Virtuosity" and "Blade."
Jenna Haze broke into the pornography industry in 2001 at the age of 19. She went on to win numerous adult film awards, including multiple female performer of the year awards. In 2007 Haze had a small role in "Superbad" and then launched her own production company in 2009. She announced her retirement in 2012 and recently appeared in a photo shoot for FHM magazine with Taylor Momsen.
Ginger Lynn got her start in pornographic movies in the mid-1980s. Around the early '90s, she quit and made appearances in several B-movies and mainstream ones such as "Young Guns II" with Keifer Sutherland and Emilio Estevez. Then in 1999, Lynn returned to the adult film industry and starred in a porn film with James Deen in 2008. She has been ranked No. 7 in Adult Video News' greatest porn stars of all time list.
Porn stars who've gone mainstream Porter says "Deep Throat" also benefited from a legal and moral crusade waged against the film.
"So many people wanted to ban (the film), beginning with the government and certainly Mayor John Lindsay of New York," Porter said. "When (Lindsay) banned it in New York, he made the movie famous all over America."
Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt offers a more straightforward explanation for the film's broad appeal. He told CNN it amounted to fascination with Lovelace's gift for a particular sex act suggested by the film's title.
Flynt told CNN, "I think it's the unique talent shown during the film is what piqued a lot of excitement."
The huge success of "Deep Throat" might lead some people to imagine that its star led a charmed life. But that was far from the case, to judge from the recent biopic, "Lovelace," starring Amanda Seyfried in the title role.
The film actually presents its audience with two versions of the Lovelace story. For most of the film, she is shown as being manipulated into porn by her then-husband, Chuck Traynor. But in an darker version of events shown toward the film's end from Lovelace's point of view, she is depicted as essentially a sex slave.
Neither scenario is a happy one. Flynt, who says he knew Lovelace and Traynor, seems to believe the darker version.
"She was just being used every step of the way," he told CNN. "It wasn't something where she'd wake up every morning and think, 'I can't wait to get to work in the morning.' That wasn't the situation."
Flynt said Traynor prostituted Lovelace, forcing her to make adult films.
"That type of coercion did exist," he said. "I think she was being very much controlled by Chuck (Traynor). ... That's why I refer to him as a pimp."
But not everyone sees the matter as that black and white, including actor Chris Noth, who plays "Deep Throat" producer Anthony Romano in "Lovelace."
"I'm not clear if she was totally pushed into it," Noth told CNN. "In the scope of what you can read and see about her, it's hard to believe that situation in totality."
Porter believes Lovelace was coerced into doing porn "to a degree." The author says Lovelace demonstrated considerably more free will during the three years after "Deep Throat," during which, he says, the actress capitalized on her fame to run with a celebrity crowd.
"She dated the top stars of Hollywood, and nobody forced her to do that," Porter said.
Porter claims many a Hollywood luminary -- including John Wayne, Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin -- was eager to ascertain whether Lovelace's sexual technique lived up to the legend.
Porter says it was another member of the Rat Pack who helped her make the rounds of Hollywood's A-list.
"Sammy Davis Jr. did more than anyone to make her the queen of porno chic," Porter said.
"He suggested that the 'in thing' to do was to have a date with Linda Lovelace. He was virtually her publicist."
Lovelace eventually renounced "Deep Throat" and Hollywood. She divorced Traynor, married another man, raised a family and lived, in her words, as a "typical housewife."
For a time, she publicly campaigned for the elimination of pornography.
"Linda Lovelace became a spokesman for the anti-pornography movement," Porter noted. "She was adopted by the leading feminists, the most important of whom was Gloria Steinem."
This phase of Lovelace's life was to have been portrayed in the biopic. Demi Moore was cast to play Steinem, but she dropped out. The part then went to Sarah Jessica Parker, but her scenes were later cut from the film.
Lovelace later split with the feminists. "Linda felt that ultimately she was being used by them," Porter said.
Lovelace, who preferred in later years to go by her married name, Linda Marciano, died in 2002 as a result of a car crash. Traynor, her ex-husband, died a few months later of a heart attack.
Toward the end of Lovelace's life, her views on pornography and "Deep Throat" continued to evolve.
"She started attending porno conventions and started selling 'Deep Throat' memorabilia," Porter said. "It was almost a turnaround, a reversal for her."
As for her legacy, Flynt says Lovelace will always be an icon because "she was in the right place at the right time."
And that time, he said, was a turning point in the culture.
"At that point in our history the Supreme Court was trying to figure out how to deal with pornography," he told CNN.
"Suddenly 16 millimeter film was available and it wasn't long before Beta and VHS became available and you could move these movies directly into the homes. So you see a very budding industry there (in the '70s) that was no longer something that was in the seedy back room of some adult bookstore."
Porter also sees Lovelace as a historic figure.
"She did launch a billion dollar industry and she is the queen of it all -- a very unlikely queen, but history sometimes selects unusual people to put on thrones."
