What Makes a Successful Movie Poster?
To be successful, a movie poster must draw people in and make them want to watch the movie, and also talk about the movie with other people. Here are a few of the main elements a movie poster must have to be successful:
Eye Catching
Firstly, the poster needs to grab your attention, as this will make more people want to watch the movie. This usually involves using bold colours or focusing on popular movie stars that will catch people's eye.
Iconography
Iconography is a great way to present what the movie is about, without giving very much away. For example, it may involve the theme of the film, the main character or the plot of the film that may grab people's attention the most.
Interesting
To create interest, many movie poster designers use images that indicate the theme or genre of the movie. They also usually leave people in suspense and make them want to find out what happens.
Appealing
If a movie poster makes the film look appealing, so many people will want to watch it, whether they are already fans, or aren't. This can be done using bold text stating actors names or by using more than one picture merged together for a more eye-catching design.
Unique
The style of the movie poster is so important to make it successful. Many movie poster artists have their own unique way of designing these posters. Some artists choose to use the same imagery and text as the movie portrays to make it all consistent, which makes the posters more effective.
Consistent
More often than not, successful movie posters are used as the front cover of the DVD, which means that the movie poster must still be eye-catching and look appealing when it's shrunk down to size, including bold titles, writing and images.
Recognisable
A lot of very successful films are the ones that have been made into sequels. If a movie and its sequels are going to be successful, it is important for the sequel's posters to be recognisable to fans. For example, for the posters to all be the same design and writing, just with slightly different imagery.
What is the Best Selling Movie Poster of all Time?
Here are some of the best selling movie posters of all time, and why they were so successful:
A vintage poster is an original poster that was used to advertise the movie when it was released. These posters were seen inside and outside cinemas, on bus stops and in train stations. Vintage posters aren't the reprints that were printed to sell in shops as replicas. Many people collect vintage movie posters, as they are brilliant to have and to use for interior design purposes.
They are also worth a lot of money, as these posters are very rare and extremely hard to come by. These vintage posters usually have some wear and tear as they are so old, which is also a really good way to tell if they are original or not. These posters were usually sold on to dealers and weren't really sold to the public, which is why they are in such high demand now.
Read our article: A history of Movie Posters
Many people don't really know the difference between a print and a poster, but there actually is a massive difference. For example, printing is becoming more of a popular choice, and they give off an excellent modern look, using all the latest technology. On the other hand, posters are much easier to do and aren't usually worth a lot, unless they have been autographed.
In conclusion, posters are more about the quantity, and printing is more about the quality. Printing is usually done on thicker paper, which means they are at a better standard than posters. Posters use bright and vibrant colours, but they must be maintained well to ensure they carry on looking as good as new.
Read our article: What's The Difference Between A Print And A Poster?
There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when checking if a movie poster is original, but it is so important to go to a professional if you are unsure. Some movie posters have been authenticated, which means they are approved original movie posters. An original movie poster is the poster that was used for advertising the movie when it was first released and were usually stuck up on billboards, bus stops, train stations and in and around the cinemas.
The posters that were made after, to sell in shops, are reprints and therefore aren't original, so aren't worth as much. It is important to check on the description of the poster before you buy it, as they aren't allowed to label them as originals; however, many do. It is important to use a professional and authorised movie poster selling shop.
Read our article: How Can I Tell If A Movie Poster Is Original?
Are Old Posters Worth Anything?
Old movie posters are definitely worth a lot of money, especially the older original ones, as they are so rare. Some of them can go for thousands; here are a few examples of some of the most famous films and the average prices for their original movie posters:
- Babe Comes Home (1927) - £75000
- Mad Doctor (1933) - £75000
- Men in Black (1934) - £70000
- Son of Frankenstein (1939) - £47500
- Mary Poppins (1964) - £1000
- Jaws (1975) - £1000
- Star Wars (1977) - £2100
- Alien (1979) - £500
- E.T. (1982) - £3200
- Scarface (1983) - £1000
- Ghost Busters (1984) - £400
- Back to the Future (1985) - £400
- Dirty Dancing (1987) - £165
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - £165
- Jurassic Park (1993) - £570
- Toy Story (1995) - £65
- Pulp Fiction (1997) - £1200
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) - £500
- Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) - £150
Original Movie Posters for Sale
We hope this page has helped you understand what makes a successful movie poster. Take a sneak peak at some of the posters we have in stock here. However, if you have a film in mind and don't see it here, please get in touch as we'd be happy to locate it for you.
Do you have any questions? Let us know!
Reel Movie Poster Sales have nearly 2 decades of experience in collecting and dealing vintage movie posters of a wide variety of eras, genres, and even languages. We readily have over 2000 posters which are available to view by appointment only in our private gallery in London.
If you have any questions regarding our stock, or if you want to sell a poster to us, please simply contact us with the details below.