# Napoleon Dynamite

> A $400,000 film spread through screenings, quoted dialogue and Vote for Pedro shirts.

- Owner: Napoleon Pictures Limited; Jared and Jerusha Hess; Fox Searchlight Pictures (distributor)
- Kind: Film
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2004-01-17
- Milestone date: 2005-01-07
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 57 (Notable, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Catchphrase, Identity badge, Underdog, Platform jump, Controversy

## Summary

Searchlight promoted the film with merchandise and MTV ads. It grew into a $44.5 million domestic run. DVD viewing, quoted lines and Vote for Pedro shirts carried it into homes, schools and retail.

## Timeline

- 2004-01-17 — Jared and Jerusha Hess / Sundance (Box office) — Napoleon Dynamite premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
- 2004-01-18 — Fox Searchlight Pictures (Box office) — Searchlight agreed to acquire the film for $4.75 million the day after its premiere.
- 2004-06-11 — US and Canadian audiences (Box office) — The film opened in six theaters and grossed $116,666 over its first weekend.

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/napoleon-dynamite

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Napoleon Dynamite.” Case HIS-01372. Spread Score v1.2: 57/100. Updated 2026-10-22. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01372