Movie poster

Movie Posters are posters used to advertise films. Their use goes back to the earliest public exhibitions of film, where they began as outside placards listing the programme of (short) films to be shown inside the hall or theater. By the early 1900s, they began to feature illustrations of a scene from each individual film.

Related Topics:
Poster - Film - Illustration

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Currently, due to a film's short theatrical life, posters are issued in small print runs and are discarded when the films run finished.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, historically, large runs for most titles, stored in production company or advertising agency warehouses, or individual items kept as souvenirs by theater owners, allowed posters from the classical and modern film periods, and early postmodern period, to survive in at least a few numbers. As a result of the interest in pop art in the late 1960s, collecting movie posters became a significant hobby. As the available supplies dwindled into private collections, prices consequently rose to support the dealers who generally made them available when they were in greater supply. Auction houses started selling movie posters in the 1980's and in 1997 a record price of US$453,000 was paid for a poster of Boris Karloff's 1932 film The Mummy at Sotheby's in London.

Related Topics:
Pop art - 1997 - Boris Karloff - 1932 - The Mummy - Sotheby's - London

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Movie posters come in different sizes and styles depending on the country. The most common are listed below.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

United States:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• One sheet, 27 inches by 41 inches, portrait format
• 22 inches by 28 inches (informally known as a "half sheet"), landscape format
• Insert, size 14 inches by 36 inches, portrait format
• Three sheet, 41 inches by 81 inches, portrait format
• Six sheet, 81 inches by 81 inches, portrait format

United Kingdom:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Quad, size 30 inches by 40 inches, landscape format
• Double crown, size 20 inches by 30 inches, portrait format
• Three sheet, size 40 inches by 81 inches

Australia:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Daybill, size 30 inches by 13 inches, portrait format

Notable film poster designers include Saul Bass, Peter Strausfield and Bob Peak.

Related Topics:
Saul Bass - Peter Strausfield - Bob Peak

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lobby Cards are like posters but smaller, usually 11" X 14" or 8" X 10". Lobby Cards are collected and their value depends on their age, quality and popularity.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 
Movie poster: External links ►