# Avatar (2009)

> James Cameron's 3D film earned $2.74 billion worldwide in its original release.

- Owner: Twentieth Century Fox (distributor); James Cameron / Lightstorm Entertainment
- Kind: Film
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2009-12-10
- Milestone date: 2010-01-25
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 74 (Viral, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Scarcity drop, Platform jump, Press loop, Controversy, Revival

## Summary

Fox promoted Avatar with free 3D previews before its London premiere. It opened to $77 million in North America and overtook Titanic worldwide. Fan forums and video criticism crossed into news; later reissues extended its run.

## Timeline

- 2009-08-20 — Twentieth Century Fox / Apple (Open web) — Fox released the teaser on Apple; it later claimed over four million first-day streams.
- 2009-08-21 — Twentieth Century Fox / IMAX (Box office) — Fox offered free 16-minute 3D previews; it later said reservations for all screenings were booked.
- 2009-12-03 — Twentieth Century Fox (Press) — Fox put production at $237 million versus the LA Times' $310 million, with $150 million for promotion.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/avatar-2009

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Avatar (2009).” Case HIS-01358. Spread Score v1.3: 74/100. Updated 2026-10-22. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01358