Moore had big dreams and wanted to break into the entertainment industry. When Hollywood shut him out, Moore found a way to make his vision a reality through the DIY route. With money from his records, about $100,000 or so, he created a low-budget blaxploitation movie in 1975 called Dolemite, which became, as The New York Times put it, "the Citizen Kane of kung fu pimping movies." Full of sex, violence, and profanity, Dolemite became a smash hit, making $12 million at the box office. Moore filmed mostly at the Dunbar Hotel, a rundown nine-room apartment building that used to be a gathering spot for jazz legends such as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.
Story-wise, the plot revolved around the playboy Dolemite and his crew of kung-fu-fighting prostitutes. After their unprecedented success, the filmmakers behind Dolemite followed up the movie with the sequels The Human Tornado and The Return of Dolemite. Moore also starred in other non-Dolemite movies, including The Monkey Hustle and Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil's Son-in-Law.