Editing The Birth of a Nation (section)

===Theatrical run===
The first public showing of the film, then called ''The Clansman'', was on January 1 and 2, 1915, at the Loring Opera House in [[Riverside, California]].<ref name=Lennig/> The second night, it was sold out and people were turned away.<ref>{{cite news|title=A Riot|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=January 12, 1915|page=24|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/380195459/?terms=clansman}}</ref> It was shown on February 8, 1915, to an audience of 3,000 people at Clune's Auditorium in [[downtown Los Angeles]]<ref name=Warnack>{{cite news|title=Trouble over ''The Clansman''|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 9, 1915|page=16|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33192531/the_clansman_birth_of_a_nation_los/|first=Henry Cristeen|last=Warnack}}</ref> and ran there for seven months.{{sfn|Campbell|1981|p=50}}

At the New York premiere, Dixon spoke on stage when the interlude started halfway through the film, reminding the audience that the dramatic version of ''The Clansman'' appeared in that venue nine years previously. "Mr. Dixon also observed that he would have allowed none but the son of a Confederate soldier to direct the film version of ''The Clansman''."<ref>{{cite news |date=March 4, 1915 |title=The Birth of a Nation |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1915/03/04/archives/campaign-for-100000-society-women-have-raised-23000-for-lenox-hill.html}}</ref> An estimated 3 million people watched the film across 6,266 showings in New York City by January 1916.{{sfn|Campbell|1981|p=59}}

The film's backers understood that the film needed a massive [[publicity campaign]] if they were to cover the immense cost of producing it. A major part of this campaign was the release of the film in a [[roadshow theatrical release]]. This allowed Griffith to charge premium prices for [[Movie ticket|tickets]], sell souvenirs, and build excitement around the film before giving it a [[wide release]]. For several months, Griffith's team traveled to various cities to show the film for one or two nights before moving on. This strategy was immensely successful.<ref name=":1" />