<P> Development of Avatar began in 1994 , when Cameron wrote an 80 - page treatment for the film . Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron 's 1997 film Titanic , for a planned release in 1999 , but , according to Cameron , the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film . Work on the language of the film 's extraterrestrial beings began in 2005 , and Cameron began developing the screenplay and fictional universe in early 2006 . Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million . Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production and at $150 million for promotion . The film made extensive use of new motion capture filming techniques , and was released for traditional viewing , 3D viewing ( using the RealD 3D , Dolby 3D , XpanD 3D , and IMAX 3D formats ) , and for `` 4D '' experiences in select South Korean theaters . The stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a breakthrough in cinematic technology . </P>
<P> Development of Avatar began in 1994 , when Cameron wrote an 80 - page treatment for the film . Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron 's 1997 film Titanic , for a planned release in 1999 , but , according to Cameron , the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film . Work on the language of the film 's extraterrestrial beings began in 2005 , and Cameron began developing the screenplay and fictional universe in early 2006 . Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million . Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production and at $150 million for promotion . The film made extensive use of new motion capture filming techniques , and was released for traditional viewing , 3D viewing ( using the RealD 3D , Dolby 3D , XpanD 3D , and IMAX 3D formats ) , and for `` 4D '' experiences in select South Korean theaters . The stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a breakthrough in cinematic technology . </P>
how much did it cost to make avatar movie
how much did it cost to make avatar movie
$237 million
$237 million