We’re over half of the way through the year, so it’s time to look back and celebrate the best movie poster designs of 2024 so far. We’ve seen some Oscar-worthy poster design in the past few months (there were some duds too, and we’ll look at those in another feature in the next couple of days).
From delightfully minimalist monster movie character posters to surprisingly erotic super hero teasers, the best movie posters of the year so far have tended to avoid the typical floating heads design to catch our attention with simple but well-executed ideas. Here’s our pick of the bunch (Also see our pick of the best film posters of all time for more inspiration).
First up on list is a surefire contender for the most amusingly erotic movie poster of the year. This early teaser Deadpool & Wolverine poster had fans going crazy for the upcoming superhero collab, which looks set to feature some hilarious on-screen chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. “Hugh got his nails done for this,” Reynolds quipped in the caption when he shared the poster. Also see the new comic-style Deadpool & Wolverine posters.
02. The Joker 2 poster
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
This stunning Joker: Folie à Deux poster shows Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role alongside Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. It’s strikingly minimal, with the two mid-dance, apparently under a spotlight, along with the tagline “The world is a stage” but it’s not without a hidden detail for eagle-eyed fans. Look closely at that light source, because it looks like those are prison bars. The film arrives this October.
03. Trap
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
We love a film poster that’s simple and effective. Too many eschew that approach these days, but this promotional poster for M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap is a welcome exception. It might not look like there’s a whole lot going on, and there’s not, but the simple placement of the text so that Josh Hartnett’s left eye appears trapped in the ‘A’ is wonderfully effective. It’s combination of monochromatic text on the red photography and the lack of symmetry add to the visual tension.
04. Godzilla X Kong poster designs
(Image credit: Legendary Pictures)
Not the main posters for the film, these Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire character posters were part of Legendary’s presence at the CCXP convention in São Paulo, Brazil. There are three in the series: Godzilla, Kong, and Skar King, the new villain of the film. The designs show the face of each monster framed within one of its own footprints. Some fans have been intrigued by one particular feature in the Godzilla poster. “First time I’ve realized that Legendary Godzilla only has 4 fingers,” one person wrote on Reddit.
05. Challengers
(Image credit: MGM)
The eye-catching poster for Challengers, the Zendaya-starring tennis movie, has an exuberantly maximalist 80s vibe. Viewers were quick to point out the resemblance to several posters from that era, such as Risky Business.
06. The First Omen
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
There were retro vibes of a different sort in the poster for The First Omen. It’s very 70s horror, recalling the classic The Exorcist posters with clean lines and grainy monochrome photography. We thought this was very classy affair for a modern horror poster.
07. Days of Heaven
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)
This is a rerelease, but with some critics praising it as most beautiful film ever made, it deserved a sumptuous new poster. The, a sun-kissed retro delight is perfect for the 4K restoration of Terrence Malik’s 1978 film.
For more on the highs and lows of the year’s design so far, see our pick of the best logos of 2024 so far and the worst logos of the year so far.
