Movie Posters Discussion Thread

[onyxbfly]

I just found out that AC Moore has a 70% custom framing sale ending today.
I know its late but hopefully the info can help anyone who is interested in getting their posters framed.

[DominicDeCocco4]

Looking for an original print of this Spider-man 3 poster. If anyone can help me out on where to find one I'd appreciate it. Looked on eBay, but unsure of the sellers, don't want a reprint.

[quiggle]

What are the various sizes current original US issued movies posters come in? Also, should they all be double sided regardless of size? Thank you!

[roar]

Originally Posted by quiggle

What are the various sizes current original US issued movies posters come in? Also, should they all be double sided regardless of size? Thank you!

27x40 is the 'standard' size these days I believe there use to be a little more play in the measurement give or take an inch on either side but from what I've seen of the posters released in the last 5 - 10 years it seems pretty standard... I've maybe held a couple dozen in my hands though so keep that in mind an opinion of someone like Kinsella here would be more valuable.

Again with my limited experience, I have only seen double sided posters released for movies released in the last 5 - 10 years I'd say. I haven't had anything come through my hands that IS a theatrical release poster and IS NOT double sided, that requirement appears to be rather standard these days.

I'd like to read Kinsella's opinion though.

[quiggle]

Thank you roar! Also, if I am to get a movie poster autographed, it is okay to do so on an original double sided poster? Are they the most durable for handling on tables where the celebrities sign? Thanks again!

[roar]

Originally Posted by quiggle

Thank you roar! Also, if I am to get a movie poster autographed, it is okay to do so on an original double sided poster? Are they the most durable for handling on tables where the celebrities sign? Thanks again!

I would say that the stock of paper used for original posters is of a considerably higher quality than any of the reprinted stuff you would fine. I am of the opinion though that one should only get something autographed for their own interests and not on the thought they are increasing the value of the item being signed, to a lot of collectors a signature can reduce the value of an item simply because proving authenticity is darn near impossible.

Who are you going to meet?

[quiggle]

Originally Posted by roar

I would say that the stock of paper used for original posters is of a considerably higher quality than any of the reprinted stuff you would fine. I am of the opinion though that one should only get something autographed for their own interests and not on the thought they are increasing the value of the item being signed, to a lot of collectors a signature can reduce the value of an item simply because proving authenticity is darn near impossible.

Who are you going to meet?

Thanks again roar, I haven't purchased any original movie posters before, but can you describe the paper stock of them? Are they like cardboard, do they bend easily when handled? What would be the best way to frame them after the poster is autographed? I plan on having Jennifer Lopez sign one of her film posters, maybe Parker. Thanks again!

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by DominicDeCocco4

Looking for an original print of this Spider-man 3 poster. If anyone can help me out on where to find one I'd appreciate it. Looked on eBay, but unsure of the sellers, don't want a reprint.

The Spider-Man 3 poster you referenced was not technically a theatrical movie poster for the film, and no double-sided "authentic" ones exist to my knowledge. From what I understand that poster was made by Sony/Columbia Pictures and were produced single-sided only. I had heard through the grapevine that the studio was planning on handing them out at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con the year before the film was due out (film came out in May 2007) but I then heard the studio nixed the idea and didn't hand these out, at least not the full size ones they had printed. But the poster "got out there" meaning in the hands of poster dealers such as myself. I sold out of them but was told by a source the studio did not make any double-sided ones.

Because they exist only in single-sided form, reproducing them as originals would be easier for those who believe in doing that. Single-sided posters are always much easier for those to fake/duplicate/counterfeit than double-sided posters. It's hard to say what is real and what is fake with regards to this poster, generally a giveaway is the clarity of the poster, lettering, even the tiniest of them, appears clear on originals, and generally fuzzy on reprints.

The problem with eBay is you can find anything and everything there and sometimes that isn't a good thing. With regards to "originals" for movie posters they can be found on eBay but they often get overlooked by those sell reprints, knock-off's, overseas reprints, etc. Since eBay isn't regulated with regards to originals and knock-off's because it's not a priority for them, it's quite often someone will sell something as an original when it's a reprint. But there are some good legit poster sellers on there, who specialize in originals and have been around for a long time, but there are also a lot of people who just sell a poster they get from a theater and have no idea how to properly list the condition or worse yet know how to package a poster up properly for shipping.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by quiggle

What are the various sizes current original US issued movies posters come in? Also, should they all be double sided regardless of size? Thank you!

Roar pretty much summed it all up perfectly. The traditional size of an original is 27x40 inches, however there are poster sellers (dealers and individuals) who also sell 27x40 "reproductions" and in many cases don't bother to state "reproduction" when clearly they are. I have never had a problem with reprints, so long as they are clearly stated and licensed reprints. But there are some out there who sell unlicensed stuff they print off themselves. They do this in various sizes, including 27x40 inches too. For those who have been in this business its generally easy to spot them, but for those who are new to this hobby, or haven't been in it very long, they won't know the difference. They will just see that something is "27x40" and assume it's real. I have touched on this throughout this poster thread as well.

Not every original is spot-on 27x40 inches either, for example the Dark Knight advance teaser "B" (aka Why So Serious? style) originals are 27 x 40 1/16th of an inch so slightly larger than "27x40". This can often be the case of an original, being slightly larger or slightly shorter than the standard 27x40 size. I have Revenge of the Sith final style posters that measure under 27x40 and I know they are legit because the originals have the anti-counterfeit backlit watermark logo on them. Reprints wouldn't have that, and truth be told, most people, including dealers, don't even know this mark exists on the back of the poster. A few other Lucasfilm-related posters have these mark on them as well.

One of the things that happened several years ago that has helped collectors spot original double-sided movie posters from counterfeit double-sided ones (which again do exist) is the back of the posters now on originals are a slightly lighter shade than the front. Flip over an newer one-sheet double-sided movie poster and compare the coloring on the front to the back and you will find the backside is often "faded". Some believe the studios started doing this to combat the fakes, but since originals technically aren't made for sale, the ideal reason is because the theater light box frames are what the posters are design for and the light will filter through a poster better making the front image stand out if the backside is a light shade.

However, there are times (which are rare) where this isn't the case. An example is the extremely rare Dark Knight Rises IMAX exclusive style movie poster, as only a small amount were produced by the IMAX Corporation themselves, not the actual studio, so chances are they used a different printer for them than what is traditional used by studios.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by quiggle

Thanks again roar, I haven't purchased any original movie posters before, but can you describe the paper stock of them? Are they like cardboard, do they bend easily when handled? What would be the best way to frame them after the poster is autographed? I plan on having Jennifer Lopez sign one of her film posters, maybe Parker. Thanks again!

Poster paper is generally very easy to work with, its thicker than standard paper, double-sided originals are printed on a thicker grade than single-sided. Remember studios do print double-sided originals AND also single-sided originals, just because a poster is single-sided doesn't mean it's a reprint. Movie posters are very easy to roll up you just have to be careful in doing so. They can be quite fragile, basically they are giant large sheets of colored paper, so they can bend, twist, and rip easily if you aren't careful.

Sometimes they make specialty originals such as lenticular 3D posters some of which are flat and impossible to bend, others can often be rolled up but not tightly. Studios have made holofoil posters for films such as the Matrix and others, and there are times when a studio does add a nice glossy coating to the front of the poster which make them look shiny but very nice, examples are the first Iron Man teaser, Casino Royale teaser, etc. Sony had produced a Spider-Man 3 poster that featured two images of Spider-Man on it with the reflection in the black suit, and the regular red/blue suit outside a building up high. On some of the posters on the front, one side showing one Spider-Man had a matte finish, and on the same poster on the front on the other side had a glossy finish with the matte finish as rain drops.

The latest poster that had that done was the advance teaser for last summer's Wolverine, which is a rather hard poster to find too (anything 20th Century Fox, Disney/Marvel is very difficult for dealers to get). On that Wolverine poster, the black charcoal-like image of Wolverine was completely UV-glossy, and the rest of the poster had a matte-finish to it. Quite nice up close, stock images don't do it justice. Even Quantum of Solace, the final style, there were two styles, one just a standard movie poster, and another which was the same image but the front of the poster had a nice matte-finish coating to it, I recently came across some in my inventory overhaul.

If you have a poster signed, I would recommend going with a colored Sharpie pen such as gold or silver. Those generally stand out and look great. Don't keep the cap off the pen as the tip will dry out and if you are standing in line to get something signed, by the time the celebrity signs it, the tip will be dry. Always keep the cap on the pen until they are ready to sign.

[quiggle]

Thanks so much Kinsella5, you helped this newbie tremendously! I also see some single sided movie posters that are 13.5 x 20. Are those authentic studio issued posters?

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by quiggle

Thanks so much Kinsella5, you helped this newbie tremendously! I also see some single sided movie posters that are 13.5 x 20. Are those authentic studio issued posters?

No problem there are some great people on this thread such as Roar and others who can answer any questions you have so post and someone will help you out. Basically if you go to a movie theater and they are handing out stuff, its a safe bet that it is studio-issued authentic promotional items. Generally some theaters are given 11x17 freebie single-sided posters, there really isn't much value to them though. Collectors want one-sheets (the technical term for original movie posters) but then there are also those who want the vinyl banners you see up in certain theaters, the large cardboard standee displays, the bus shelter posters you will see at random bus shelters or outdoor malls, etc.

One thing to remember is websites are notorious for announcing every single image released for a film as a "movie poster" and in many cases it's false reporting. Sometimes images are movie posters, other times they are of the bus shelter posters or banners, other times they are of international versions of the posters, but in a some cases they are just promotional images that are released online by the studio that "may" look like a movie poster but aren't posters at all.

There are those who then take the images and start producing their own posters and people assume they are real because an image came out online, but in reality they aren't original movie posters, but just knock-off's. Basically if you can think it, it can happen sadly enough. Another thing that you will find are people who design their own posters and then put the image on Youtube, Facebook or other sites and say "Hey here is the new (insert title here) movie poster!" and people think its real but its just fan-made stuff. And yes, you guessed it, there are some out there, including some poster dealers, who then take even the fan made imagery thinking its studio-issued and start selling reprints of it.

[roar]

Originally Posted by quiggle

Thanks so much Kinsella5, you helped this newbie tremendously! I also see some single sided movie posters that are 13.5 x 20. Are those authentic studio issued posters?

If you haven't purchased your poster yet do make sure to drop Kinsella a PM, he is a poster dealer and a highly reputable one at that. He packs his posters perfectly, has really great pricing and is easy to deal with. He may not have what you're looking for but if he does you can be assured it is authentic.

I've purchased from him before because his pricing is good and have found it cheaper to have stuff shipped from the west coast by him to me in Ontario, Canada than to buy locally sometimes.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by roar

If you haven't purchased your poster yet do make sure to drop Kinsella a PM, he is a poster dealer and a highly reputable one at that. He packs his posters perfectly, has really great pricing and is easy to deal with. He may not have what you're looking for but if he does you can be assured it is authentic.

I've purchased from him before because his pricing is good and have found it cheaper to have stuff shipped from the west coast by him to me in Ontario, Canada than to buy locally sometimes.

Thanks for the kind words Roar, it's appreciated. I believe that member is looking primarily for Expendables 3 items, which I don't have anything but may try and get some if I can. There is a trailer out for it and what appears to be character posters, but I believe they did that for the second film, and it turned out not all the character images were in fact posters. I can't imagine they making that many posters for the film, maybe a few for the bigger characters though such as Stallone, Ford, Gibson, etc.

[EvilE981]

Originally Posted by Kinsella5

Yeah it sounds like they are shipping out the domestic posters but using the international images on the DMR site. A friend just emailed me and mentioned how poorly they were packaged but his managed not to take on too much damage but overall said they were packaged very poorly, again, no surprise to me.

They cram the receipt and advertisements in the tube after the poster is in it so the edges of the poster get bent.

I complain and get my points back or a replacement. Even with the edges imperfect it still looks nice framed LOL

[i007spectre]

Wish DMR would offer the Guardians of the Galaxy poster. Saw it at my local theater when watching Cap 2. The poster looked better in person.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by i007spectre

Wish DMR would offer the Guardians of the Galaxy poster. Saw it at my local theater when watching Cap 2. The poster looked better in person.

I have not been to the movies in a while, was the Guardians poster the same image that was released about three weeks ago online? That will be a very difficult poster for dealers to get, and if the movie does well, expect a surge of people wanting anything for it. More than likely we will see Mondo do a print for it as well closer to the film's release.

[i007spectre]

Yeah it was the one with them in the bottom half and the ship up top. Had the Your Welcome tag

[onyxbfly]

[Hellboy]

Nice Avengers frame-up. Someday I'll get my reg framed.