50 Beautiful Movie Posters

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Movie posters are art and, unfortunately, the forgotten one. In the early years of cinema history, they were used just like advertising material. Displayed in theatres only, movie posters had the same function as a menu in a restaurant: what feast can I enjoy this evening? Nowadays, movie posters play a big role in cinema memorabilia collection. They have lost the “informative” tone to wear a more artistic and decorative dress. We want to change it with this post.

Made in many different sizes and versions, and released in different moments all along a movie’s life, posters immortalize in one static image the feeling and the atmosphere of a motion picture. Some posters can be dark or try to frighten the audience, others bedazzling with bright colors; some can be someway informative, while others can be fully teasing and may provide you only the date when movie will be released, even if you may not know what the movie is about.

In this post we present you a showcase of 50 beautiful movie posters. We went through different decades of movie history and different genre, different graphical approach, colors and style. Movies the posters are about may be famous or not, this is not the point.

Movie posters put together the love for for two different visual arts: cinema and graphics. Enjoy!

You may also want to take a look at the related posts:

50 Beautiful Movie Posters

Star Wars (1977)

Screenshot

Walk the line (2005)

Screenshot

Grindhouse (2007)

Grindhouse

Grindhouse

The Spirit (Upcoming, December 2008)

The Spirit

Vacancy (2007)

Screenshot

Moulin Rouge (2001)

Moulin Rouge

V For Vendetta (2006)

Screenshot

La Feria De Cepillin (2008)

Screenshot

The Thing (1982)

Screenshot

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007)

Screenshot

Dexter (TV-show)

Screenshot

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

Kill Bill (2003)

Screenshot

Fearless (2006)

Screenshot

Cloverfield (2008)

Screenshot

The Birds (1963)

Screenshot

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Screenshot

Mean Streets (1973)

Screenshot

Amadeus (1984)

Grindhouse

THX 1138 (1971)

THX II38

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pulp Fiction

28 Weeks Later (2007)

Screenshot

The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006)

Screenshot

Forrest Gump (1994)

Forrest Gump

Day Watch (2007)

Day Watch

Vertigo (1958)

Screenshot

Invasion (2008)

Screenshot

Planet of the apes (2001)

Screenshot

The Memory Thief (2007)

Screenshot

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Screenshot

Death Proof (2007)

Screenshot

The Good German (2006)

Screenshot

Perfume (2007)

Screenshot

The Shining (2008)

Screenshot

W (2008)

Screenshot

Screenshot

American Beauty (1999)

Screenshot

The Bank Job (2007)

Screenshot

Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

Man With One Red Shoe

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Screenshot

Excalibur (1981)

Screenshot

Unforgiven (1992)

Unforgiven

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Zodiac (2007)

Screenshot

Dr. Strangelove (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) (1964)

Dr. Strangelove

Good The Bad And The Ugly (1966)
Italian version.

Good The Bad And The Ugly

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Indiana Jones

Rocky (1976)

Rocky

Last Click

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (1956)
Please note the advice’s style (highlighted with the red circle) for the audience: an innocent suggestion or just marketing?.

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

Blestenation (2007)

Screenshot

The Fountain (2006)

Screenshot

Screenshot

Resources

Related posts

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Alessandro Cattaneo is a communication specialist with great passion for web and design.

  1. 101

    Ethan Rosenberg

    February 7th, 2009 1:35 am

    great collection guys. Some very interesting posters.

    0
  2. 102

    Bastante Buenas
    Very Good!

    0
  3. 103

    Like the list some nice posters on there i hadnt seen and shows the great art behind these

    But..
    Metroplis has to be on that list one of the best movie posters of all time!!

    0
  4. 104

    Forrest Gump and Perfume very good films, definitely I would recommend if you have not followed.

    0
  5. 105

    original list

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  6. 106

    Callum Chapman

    April 29th, 2009 1:55 am

    Great posters, thanks :)

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  7. 107

    thx alot

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  8. 108

    Great collection!

    To all those complaining, the author doesn’t claim this is a definitive list or even a list of the BEST posters, just that they are beautiful. And that they are.

    Thank you very much, I feel inspired now!

    0
  9. 109

    Metropolis is one of the best ever.. here’s a preview
    i even dare say that Spirit is a copy of it.

    0
  10. 110

    Daniel Errante

    June 4th, 2009 1:31 pm

    My favorite is the photo effect on the Sweeny Todd poster

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  11. 111

    Good list, some great alternative versions.

    I was surprised to see that Pan’s Labyrinth wasn’t on the list, the movie has so many wicked alternative poster versions.

    0
  12. 112
  13. 113

    Stop asking for a thumbs up, it’s pathetic and only shows how desperate you are for a little attention.

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  14. 114

    sha!.............

    August 19th, 2009 1:37 am

    CoooOOoooL!!………..

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  15. 115

    These are all pretty terrible…guess you happened to pick some of the worst

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  16. 116

    great collection, I’d like to add Barry Lindon’s poster:

    http://www.mondomostre.it/images/estateraffaello/locandine/barry_lindon_06.jpg

    0
  17. 117

    I have a lovely poster for “the perfume” hanging on the wall even more beautyful than the one shown here (I think it’s the italian version)

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  18. 118

    It has to be the Star Wars poster that wins it for me… check this guys alternative Star wars prints I came across … I really like ‘the entirety of space’ print.

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  19. 119

    Meh, mediocre collection of posters. Some classics are here alright, but would preferred there to be a bit more insight into foreign versions of classic american posters. See the russian blade runner poster for example.

    0
  20. 120

    Thank’s for this very creative collection.
    You may also see my post aboout minimalist movie posters
    http://www.leblogdebango.fr/2010/02/60-redesign-minimalistes-daffiches-de-films-et-de-series/

    0
  21. 121

    What about scarface?

    0
  22. 122

    Cepillin POP-ART Awesome!!!

    0
  23. 123

    More nice Poster you will find : Wandtattoo

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  24. 124

    This really is a super collection, A very refreshing look back at some fantastic posters.

    I personally love the Dexter poster, It very much looks to me as if it is a Shephard Fairy design who features in the new banksy film, If it isnt a shephard fairy design I would say that it is meant to replicate it.

    The vertigo poster is always a true classic.

    acrylic prints

    0
  25. 125

    thanx for this artful package . I think w. Unforgiven & invasion were best . and fountai poster was just like its movie beyond of any compliment .

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  26. 126

    These posters must be preserved as works of art too!

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  27. 127

    These movie posters are great,what software did they use for these kinds of posters.Specifically With Shinning?

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  28. 128

    Does anyone know why there is spacing at the top of the Cloverfield poster. I mean between the ‘some’ and the ‘thing’

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  29. 129

    Your article is featured at srecograd.blogspot.com/ as one of the examples that will have a lot of influence in the future, at our work.

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  30. 130

    Really like ‘the memory thief’, never seen that before? will need to go watch it! very creative artwork, thank you canvas prints

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  31. 131

    Andy Svensson

    June 20th, 2011 8:48 am

    The Good German Poster shouldnt be there, since it is a copy in the Style of the original “Casablanca” Poster. So it is not an unique Original Design.

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  32. 132

    kaungthatsan

    July 5th, 2011 3:01 am

    so good , thank’s

    +1
  33. 133

    Although Raiders is obviously the best Indy movie, the best Indy poster is clearly: http://www.impawards.com/1984/posters/indiana_jones_and_the_temple_of_doom_ver1.jpg

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  34. 134

    i dont know where else to go with this question lol i have an original Les Miserables poster with original cast autographs about 40 sigs. Dont know the value and would appreciate any info on poster or value thanks

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  35. 135

    Really creative and inspiring posters.
    Check some more here http://goo.gl/tqN8o

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  36. 136

    Thanks – Some really great poster artwork and some that i not seen before.

    You may also want to take a look at this site looking at the art of the movie poster with some great images and details about the artists.

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  37. 137

    The dark knight poster is brilliant! I love seeing these, it’s like going to an art gallery.

    0
  38. 138

    mikey bartlett

    March 14th, 2012 11:40 am

    this is a fantastic page for the use of G.C.S.E’S. I have been looking throught this page for hours on end trying to find a decetn film poster in the end i chose TOM HANKS IS FOREST GUMP, i only chose this film poster because i have watched the film over and over again art home an di find it very interesting as he is AUTISTIC and that i have a AUTISTIC brother and iy helps me to undertstand the way my brother reacts to things and my brother is very similar

    0

  1. 1

    I honestly do not see how some of these posters made it here.

    +4
  2. 2

    I love the “Perfume” movie poster, so much so when I seen it in the movie store I bought it due to the cover, and it turned out to be a very good movie!

    +1
  3. 3

    Though I dislike retro style, I found some interesting retro posters in this list. I liked ‘The Birds’, ‘Forrest Gump’, ‘Perfume’, and ‘American Beuaty’ the best.

    Great efforrt Alessandro Cattaneo and Smashing Magazine Team, thank you so much.

    +1
  4. 4

    Amazing collection of posters! I was shocked, when i saw links to movies nearby every poster! It was ver hard work, i respect to Alessandro Cattaneo!

    P.S. Sorry for bad english, i’m ukrainian ;)

    +1
  5. 5

    kaungthatsan

    July 5th, 2011 3:01 am

    so good , thank’s

    +1

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