llms.txt
Compare with other sites' llms.txt files →# How It Spread
> Why things went viral, traced from the first post to the peak: who amplified it, where it jumped, and a Spread Score anyone can check.
Each case has a dated, sourced propagation timeline (seed, first amplifier, platform jumps, press, peak), tagged mechanics and a Spread Score computed by code from measured inputs. Each case has a permanent ID (HIS-00042) that resolves at /id/<ID>; cite by that URL with the score version.
## Cases
- [The Lion King (1994): why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/the-lion-king-1994): Disney’s animated film grossed $771 million in its original theatrical release group.
- [Why Jurassic Park went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/jurassic-park-1993): Spielberg’s dinosaur film grossed $1.06 billion worldwide across theatrical releases.
- [Why PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/pubg-battlegrounds): A Steam Early Access shooter reached a peak of 3.2 million concurrent players.
- [The Queen's Gambit (miniseries): why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/the-queens-gambit): Netflix reported 62 million households as its chess drama drove a retail and playing boom.
- [Why Titanic (1997) went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/titanic-1997): Titanic led the North American box office for 15 consecutive weekends.
- [Why Obsession went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/obsession-film): YouTube creator Curry Barker's horror film Obsession grossed $522 million worldwide.
- [Why The Sixth Sense went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/the-sixth-sense): A twist-ending thriller grossed $672.8 million worldwide after a word-of-mouth run.
- [Why The Greatest Showman went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/the-greatest-showman): A weak-opening film earned $174 million domestically as its soundtrack led the UK chart.
- [Why Avatar (2009) went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/avatar-2009): James Cameron's 3D film earned $2.74 billion worldwide in its original release.
- [Why KPop Demon Hunters went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/kpop-demon-hunters): Netflix reported 600M+ views as the film’s songs spread through fan clips and covers.
- [Why ChatGPT went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/chatgpt): UBS estimated 100 million monthly ChatGPT users within two months of launch.
- [Why Deadpool & Wolverine went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/deadpool-and-wolverine): The film grossed $1.338 billion worldwide as its opening dance spread beyond cinemas.
- [Why Pokémon Go went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/pokemon-go): Sensor Tower estimated $256 million in July player spending for Pokémon Go.
- [The Super Mario Bros. Movie: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/the-super-mario-bros-movie): Nintendo and Illumination's animated Mario film grossed $1.36 billion worldwide.
- [Frozen and “Let It Go”: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/frozen-let-it-go): Frozen became a $1.27 billion film as Let It Go covers carried its songs beyond cinemas.
- [Why Pulp Fiction went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/pulp-fiction): Pulp Fiction crossed $100 million domestically before its scenes became reaction GIFs.
- [ROSÉ & Bruno Mars “APT.”: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/rose-bruno-mars-apt): A Korean drinking-game chant became a global hit with 224.5 million first-week streams.
- [Why Scientific 7-Minute Workout went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/scientific-seven-minute-workout): An illustrated workout column spawned an industry of 26 smartphone apps.
- [Why Avengers: Endgame went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/avengers-endgame): Marvel’s finale opened to an estimated $1.2 billion worldwide.
- [Dress to Impress (Roblox): why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/dress-to-impress): Roblox’s fashion game reached 1,743,147 concurrent players after its TikTok breakout.
- [Why Home Alone went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/home-alone): Home Alone led the domestic box office for 12 consecutive weekends.
- [Why Inside Out 2 went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/inside-out-2): Pixar’s emotion sequel crossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
- [Why Parasite went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/parasite-film): Bong Joon Ho's Korean thriller grossed at least $253 million worldwide.
- [Why Saltburn went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/saltburn): Saltburn grossed $21 million worldwide as its scenes became TikTok reaction formats.
- [Why The Matrix went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/the-matrix): The sci-fi film opened to $27.8 million domestically, then spread via DVDs and imitation.
- [Why Tiger King went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/tiger-king): Netflix’s lockdown docuseries reached 34.3 million US TV viewers in its first ten days.
- [Why Wicked (2024 film) went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/wicked-film): Wicked's film, press-tour memes and soundtrack accompanied a $758.7 million run.
- [All your base are belong to us: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/all-your-base): A game mistranslation spread through Flash; a study counted 7,070 monthly Usenet matches.
- [Lizzo DNA Test challenge: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/lizzo-dna-test-challenge): TikTok users turned Lizzo’s 100% lyric into jokes about their identities.
- [Mike Senatore's talent-show bottle flip: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/mike-senatore-bottle-flip): Senatore's school bottle flip spread into a challenge; one copy passed 6.8 million views.
- [Why Phasmophobia went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/phasmophobia): A solo developer's ghost-hunting game reached 30 million sales, Kinetic Games reported.
- [Why Sinners went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/sinners-film): Ryan Coogler's vampire film Sinners grossed $371.6 million worldwide.
- [Why Toy Story went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/toy-story-1995): The first fully computer-animated feature opened to $29.1 million domestically.
- [Colossal's Dire Wolf Announcement: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/colossal-dire-wolf-announcement): Colossal claimed 3 gene-edited pups were de-extinct dire wolves; scientists disputed it.
- [Everything Everywhere All at Once: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/everything-everywhere-all-at-once): A SXSW premiere became a word-of-mouth hit with over $144 million worldwide.
- [Why Shrek went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/shrek): Shrek opened atop the domestic box office with $42.3 million, then became a fan-made meme.
- [Squid Game (season 1): why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/squid-game): Netflix reported 142 million households sampled the Korean survival drama at launch.
- [Why Steal a Brainrot went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/steal-a-brainrot): Roblox game Steal a Brainrot was the first to pass 25 million concurrent players.
- [Why Among Us went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/among-us): Innersloth's 2018 game Among Us drew about half a billion players in November 2020.
- [Why Angry Birds went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/angry-birds): Rovio said its slingshot game sold over 6.5 million iPhone copies before Android.
- [Why Bad Moms went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/bad-moms): A comedy about overworked mothers grossed at least $180 million worldwide.
- [Why Candy Crush Saga went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/candy-crush-saga): King reported 97 million average daily Candy Crush Saga users in February 2014.
- [Why Terrifier 2 went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/terrifier-2): An unrated slasher drew illness reports and grossed $15.7 million worldwide.
- [Why The Hangover went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/the-hangover-2009): A bachelor-party comedy earned $277 million in its original domestic theatrical run.
- [Why Baby Shark Dance went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/baby-shark): Pinkfong reported 17.2 billion views for YouTube's most watched video.
- [Why Barbie (2023 film) went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/barbie-film): Pink promotion and Barbenheimer accompanied Barbie’s $162 million domestic opening.
- [Why Fidget Cube Kickstarter went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/fidget-cube-kickstarter): Antsy Labs raised $6.5 million for a desk toy before shipping delays let copycats in.
- [RRR and "Naatu Naatu": why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/rrr-naatu-naatu): RRR opened to $9.5 million in North America, then found a crossover audience on Netflix.
- [Why Top Gun: Maverick went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/top-gun-maverick): The delayed sequel turned a record holiday opening into a $1.45 billion worldwide run.
- [Why 13 Reasons Why went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/13-reasons-why): The Netflix series drew more than 11 million tweets within a month of release.
- [Why A Minecraft Movie went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/a-minecraft-movie): Cinema reaction memes accompanied a film that grossed $960 million worldwide.
- [Ashton Hall’s Morning Routine: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/ashton-hall-morning-routine): An X repost of a fitness coach's morning routine drew more than 741 million views.
- [Why Baby Yoda went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/baby-yoda): Baby Yoda memes preceded a licensed plush that ranked No. 1 in US plush sales.
- [Why Banksy's Self-Shredding Painting went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/banksy-self-shredding-painting): A painting shredded at auction, then set a Banksy record at $25.4 million.
- [Burt’s Bees x Hidden Valley Ranch Dippers: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/burts-bees-hidden-valley-ranch-dippers): The $11.99 ranch lip balm sold out on launch day, drawing national coverage.
- [Why Dubai chocolate went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/dubai-chocolate): A TikTok of a Dubai-only pistachio chocolate bar drew over 120 million views.
- [Why Fortnite Battle Royale went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/fortnite-battle-royale): Epic reported 3.7 million daily active Battle Royale players within weeks.
- [Why Get Out went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/get-out): Jordan Peele’s horror film grossed over $253 million worldwide and became a running meme.
- [Why Heneral Luna went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/heneral-luna): A Philippine historical film revived by fan appeals grossed $4,625,639 worldwide.
- [Why I'm Not Racist went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/im-not-racist): Lucas's race-debate video drew 155 million YouTube views; its single was certified Gold.
- [Why Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/into-the-spider-verse): A comic-book animation became an Oscar winner and grossed $375.6 million on its first run.
- [Why It (2017 film) went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/it-2017-film): A studio trailer record preceded a $123.4 million domestic opening for It.
- [Why Italian brainrot went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/italian-brainrot): AI animal memes reached more than 450,000 YouTube uploads.
- [McDonald’s France “Olympic Curry”: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/mcdonalds-olympic-curry): A French sauce joke drew an estimated 2.3 billion impressions, its award entrant claimed.
- [Why Rocket League went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/rocket-league): Car soccer spread through GIFs and streams; Psyonix reported $110 million in revenue.
- [Why Slither.io went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/slither-io): Slither.io reached No. 1 on Apple's free-app chart after its March launch.
- [The Blair Witch Project: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/the-blair-witch-project): A found-footage horror film and its missing-person myth grossed $248 million worldwide.
- [Why A Quiet Place went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/a-quiet-place): A horror film about silence grossed at least $334 million worldwide.
- [Why Anyone but You went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/anyone-but-you): Sony's romantic comedy grossed over $219 million worldwide after two weekend increases.
- [Why Big Dick Energy went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/big-dick-energy): A phrase counted in 129,184 original tweets became shirts, songs and dictionary entries.
- [Why Corn Kid went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/corn-kid): Tariq’s corn interview became a song used in over 900,000 TikTok videos.
- [Crazy Frog “Axel F”: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/crazy-frog-axel-f): A ringtone-backed single beat Coldplay to UK No. 1 amid complaints about repeated TV ads.
- [Why Crazy Rich Asians went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/crazy-rich-asians): Gold Open theater buyouts backed a romantic comedy that grossed $239 million worldwide.
- [Encanto and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/encanto-bruno): Encanto’s soundtrack reached No. 1 as viewers turned its songs into TikTok performances.
- [Why F1 The Movie went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/f1-the-movie): Apple's Brad Pitt racing film grossed $634 million worldwide after a year of promotion.
- [Why Heartstopper went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/heartstopper): Netflix reported 23.94 million hours watched in Heartstopper's first full week.
- [Why Hollow Knight: Silksong went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/hollow-knight-silksong): After years of waiting memes, Silksong launched and Team Cherry claimed over 7M sales.
- [Why Icebreaker went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/icebreaker-hannah-grace): A BookTok hockey romance sold 423,800 US print copies in the first half of 2024.
- [Why Lethal Company went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/lethal-company): A solo developer's co-op horror game reached 239,369 concurrent Steam players.
- [Why Moo Deng went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/moo-deng): X reported 7.7 million posts about Moo Deng by the end of her breakout year.
- [Why Paranormal Activity went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/paranormal-activity): An Eventful demand campaign helped a horror film reach $193 million worldwide.
- [Why Sound of Freedom went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/sound-of-freedom): A pay-it-forward ticket campaign helped Sound of Freedom gross $250.8 million worldwide.
- [The Last of Us (series): why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/the-last-of-us-series): HBO reported 8.2 million US first-night viewers for the first-season finale.
- [Why The Lego Movie went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/the-lego-movie): A film built around Lego toys opened to $69.05 million at the domestic box office.
- [Why United Breaks Guitars went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/united-breaks-guitars): Dave Carroll’s airline complaint video drew 4.6 million YouTube views by the end of July.
- [Why Adolescence went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/adolescence-series): Netflix reported 145 million first-half views for Adolescence.
- [Why Black Panther (2018) went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/black-panther-2018): Black Panther grossed $1.33 billion as viewers funded screenings and copied its salute.
- [Why FarmVille went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/farmville): FarmVille reached 83.76 million monthly users after spreading through Facebook.
- [Five Nights at Freddy's (film): why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/five-nights-at-freddys-film): The game adaptation opened to $80 million domestically alongside its Peacock launch.
- [God’s Plan music video: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/gods-plan-music-video): Drake’s filmed giveaways drew more than 1.72 billion YouTube views.
- [Why Labubu went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/labubu): Lisa’s 2024 posts preceded Labubu parent IP THE MONSTERS’ RMB14.16bn revenue in 2025.
- [Why “6 7” meme went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/six-seven-meme): A basketball edit became classroom slang and Dictionary.com’s 2025 Word of the Year.
- [Why Spider-Man: No Way Home went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/spider-man-no-way-home): A leaked trailer preceded a film that opened to $260 million at the domestic box office.
- [Why Threads launch went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/threads-launch): Meta said Threads reached 100 million sign-ups in five days; active use then fell.
- [Why Vine launch went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/vine-launch): Twitter's looping video app reached No. 1 among free U.S. iPhone apps.
- [Why Weapons went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/weapons-film): Cryptic marketing and running-pose memes accompanied a $270 million worldwide horror hit.
- [Why Baby Reindeer went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/baby-reindeer): Netflix reported 88.4 million views for Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer.
- [Why Bo Burnham’s “Inside” went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/bo-burnham-inside): TikTok reported 1.1 million video creations using the special’s Bezos sound.
- [Why Canon Events went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/canon-events): A Spider-Verse filter appeared in over 770,000 TikTok videos, according to its maker.
- [Why Charlie Charlie Challenge went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/charlie-charlie-challenge): A pencil-game hashtag drew a vendor-reported 2.8 million tweets in late May 2015.
- [Why Chernobyl (miniseries) went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/chernobyl-hbo): HBO said its miniseries passed 12 million viewers.
- [Why Chewbacca Mom went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/chewbacca-mom): A Facebook Live video of a mother laughing in a toy mask passed 164 million views.
- [Why Coffin dance meme went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/coffin-dance): Ghanaian pallbearers became a warning meme; an agency later reported a $1m NFT sale.
- [Daily Star’s Liz Truss Lettuce: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/daily-star-liz-truss-lettuce): A lettuce outlasted Liz Truss as 21,000 people watched its Twitter feed.
- [Why Dance Dance Revolution went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/dance-dance-revolution): Konami reported 6.5 million home-game shipments as DDR moved from arcades to schools.
- [Doggface Ocean Spray Dreams video: why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/doggface-ocean-spray-dreams): After a stranger’s repost, Dreams returned to the Hot 100 at No. 21.
- [Why Emily in Paris went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/emily-in-paris): Netflix said 58 million households chose to watch Emily in Paris.
- [Why Hamster Kombat went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/hamster-kombat): A Telegram game claimed 50 million daily players before its token fell on launch.
- [Why John Wick (2014) went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/john-wick-2014): A puppy-revenge film grossed $86 million worldwide, then found audiences on home video.
- [Why Making a Murderer went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/making-a-murderer): Netflix's documentary reached the White House through a petition with 113,000 signatures.
- [Why Mannequin Challenge went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/mannequin-challenge): Twitter reported 2.3 million Mannequin Challenge hashtag mentions in one week.
- [Why McDonald’s “Grimace’s Birthday” went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/mcdonald-s-grimace-s-birthday): Fans filmed fake deaths; the agency reported 160,000 birthday videos.
- [One Piece (Netflix series): why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/one-piece-netflix): Netflix reported 18.5 million views for the live-action adaptation's opening four days.
- [Why PhelpsFace went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/phelpsface): An Olympic scowl became an Intel ad and ranked No. 6 in Google's US trending-meme list.
- [Running Up That Hill (2022 revival): why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/running-up-that-hill-2022): Stranger Things revived Kate Bush’s song and carried it to UK No. 1.
- [Soulja Boy "Crank That": why it went viral](https://howitspread.com/cases/soulja-boy-crank-that): A self-r
