Allan Freeman, a marketing executive who pioneered market research techniques to successfully release blockbuster films including "Superman," "Star Wars" and "Rain Man," died June 7. He was 88. With his innovative market research techniques, Freeman played an instrumental part in the release of Oscar winners including "Dances With Wolves" and "The Silence of the Lambs," along with "The Omen," "The Shining" and "Splash." More from Variety 'The Alto Knights' Director Barry Levinson Talks Dueling Robert De Niros, Creating Perfect Shots in 'The Natural' and Coaching Movie Stars to Great Performances 'The First Omen' Review: A Decently Executed Prequel Pales Next to Superior 'Immaculate' Netflix, Prime, BBC and Other Streamers Urged to Include Disclaimer on Horror Films Featuring Villains With Visible Differences Sid Ganis, former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, described Freeman as "a pioneer who invented research for movies." Freeman started out working in advertising on Madison Avenue, overseeing research for corporations such as General Foods and Bristol-Myers. In the early 1970s, Bristol-Myers acquired Palomar Pictures, and he used his expertise in consumer behavior to launch a consulting business that helped create campaigns for movies including "Sleuth," "The Heartbreak Kid," "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" and "The Stepford Wives." Twentieth Century Fox brought Freeman on as a consultant and then named him VP of Market Research, and he worked on hit Fox films including "The Omen," "Silent Movie," "Star Wars" and "Julia." For "The Omen," he changed the title from "The Birthmark," and created a text-only teaser poster that conveyed a sense of cinematic quality. The film's director, Richard Donner, credited Freeman's work and friendship with "saving me from a life of episodic television," according to his bio. Freeman then moved on to Warner Bros., where he partnered with Andrew Fogelson. Commenting on the death of his colleague and friend, Fogelson — who served as president of marketing for Warner Bros., Columbia and United Artists, said, "Allan arrived in the motion picture marketing business at a time when 'conventional' marketing hadn't yet met movies. I met him and found him to be astonishingly bright, business-like… and convinced we could learn a lot from the rest of the business world. While my superiors (let's call them 'bosses') were highly dubious, they stepped aside and let us experiment. In short order his efforts on 'Superman,' 'Oh God,' and 'The Goodbye Girl' were demonstrably and hugely helpful. 'Dubious' left the scene, to be replaced by studios calling to see if they could buy into the new system that was being created. When I insisted they be denied, others began entering the space. Today it's a multi-million-dollar business, in which — in one way or another — everyone participates. And we owe it all to the wit and wisdom of Mr. Freeman." At Warner Bros., Freeman re-teamed with Donner on "Superman," and led campaigns for Clint Eastwood's "Every Which Way But Loose," Burt Reynolds' "Hooper," "Capricorn One" (starting a long collaboration with director Peter Hyams), "Monty Python's Life of Brian" and Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." After going independent again, Freeman marketed films including "Inside Moves" (1980) for Donner, "First Blood" (1982), "This is Spinal Tap" (1984) and several releases for Disney including "Tron" (1982), "Never Cry Wolf" (1983) and "Splash" (1984). For John Boorman's "The Emerald Forest," the director credited Freeman's use of extensive telephone interviews with a large focus group with helping refine the film's narrative and flow. Freeman went on to work with Fogelson again at United Artists, where he worked on films including "The Living Daylights" and "Rain Man." His friend and colleague Martin Lewis, who reported Freeman's death and worked with him on "Rain Man," said, "He was incredibly insightful as to what worked and what didn't work. There were a few copycats in the industry offering a similar technique. But having devised the paradigm of research-driven creativity nobody did it better than Allan. He inspired his staff and outside consultants to aim higher and be more daring. If you created something good — he praised you. If you went off the rails (as I occasionally did) he reined you in sharply but with dry humor. I learned a lot from Allan. He thought outside-the-box. He was an original." He is survived by his wife Barbara and children Joanne, Richard and Marc. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.