# Cocaine Bear

> Cocaine Bear followed its viral trailer with a $23.3 million domestic opening.

- Owner: Universal Pictures (distributor); Elizabeth Banks (director)
- Kind: Film
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2023-02-22
- Observed peak date: Week of Mar 1, 2023
- Date basis: Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 59 (Notable), v1.3
- Mechanics: Transgression, Platform jump, Press loop, Newsjacking

## Summary

The trailer drew jokes about the title and premise, then coverage explaining the real bear. Universal added paid TV and social placements, a game and cast videos. The film opened above forecasts, then domestic weekend grosses declined.

## Timeline

- 2022-11-28 — Cocaine Bear (X) — The film’s poster carried the tagline “GET IN LINE” before the trailer arrived.
- 2022-11-30 — Universal Pictures / Cocaine Bear (X) — Universal released the trailer with the caption “I’m the bear who ate cocaine. This is my story.”
- 2022-12-03 — CNN (Press) — CNN explained the real bear’s death after the trailer circulated on Twitter.

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/cocaine-bear

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Cocaine Bear.” Case HIS-01535. Spread Score v1.3: 59/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01535