Even as the traditional bottom-of-the-bill second feature slowly disappeared, the term B movie was applied more broadly to the sort of inexpensive genre films that came out during the era, such as those produced to meet the demands of the burgeoning drive-in theater market.
As traditional B movies became less common, the term was applied more broadly to describe a range of affordable genre films produced during this period, including those designed to cater to the growing demand of the drive-in theater market.