When it comes to the retail release of the top grossing movie Avatar, Fox has unveiled elaborate plans to mine customers' wallets with multiple releases.

Twentieth Century Fox hit solid gold when it released the film, which was directed by James Cameron.  Critically acclaimed -- winning multiple Academy Awards (3) and Golden Globes (2) -- the picture has grossed an unbelievable $2.638B USD worldwide to date. It has far surpassed the previous record holder, Cameron's Titanic, which had a $1.843B USD international gross.  The film's success comes in part thanks to the lack of recent science fiction blockbusters and a carefully crafted storyline that echoes past hits like Braveheart, Pocahontas, Dances With Wolves, and Ferngully: The Last Rainforest.

The first retail release of Avatar will perhaps appropriately land on Earth Day -- April 22.  The film will be released in the U.S. and Canada in minimalist Blu-ray and DVD forms, according to Reuters.

Unfortunately for Avatar fans, the film will have no special features.  That's right; there will be no deleted scenes, no trailers and no behind-the-scenes footage bundled with the top release.  

Fans wanting to get that will have to wait for the "Ultimate" edition, which will come in November, just in time for the holiday season.  Those hoping to view the movie in 3-D will have to wait even longer, until a third release, which is tentatively planned for next year.

Avatar was among the highest profile movies to date to push the 3-D movie experience in theaters.  With television set makers pushing out new 3-D sets this year, many in the industry are hoping that Avatar could help customers appreciate the new tech and boost sales of models carrying it.  They'll have to wait until next year to get that boost, as Fox is waiting until at least a fair number of customers get their paws on 3-D sets.

The news of three separate releases is enough to infuriate bargain hunters, but is not uncommon for blockbusters of this magnitude.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson (which collectively grossed $2.9B USD) received similar treatment from New Line Cinema.  We're guessing that Avatar fans won't begrudge the extra expenses -- after all, some saw the movie 10 times or more.

James Cameron previously announced that sequels are planned in the Avatar universe.  That means that there could be even more releases and repackaging in the not-so-distant future.  Fox's $300M USD bet on Avatar sure did pay off, and the franchise will likely continue to make news in months to come.

Not everyone is in love with it, though.  Conservative columnist John Podhoretz of the Weekly Standard accuses it of "hatred of the military and American institutions" for its depiction of a group of mercenaries that closely resemble the U.S. Marines (Cameron has said he never meant to insult the USMC, and points out that the movie's hero is a former marine).