Choosing Movie Posters For Your Home Theater

Introduction

            Personalizing your Home Theater setup can add some character to your entertainment area. Going for that real cinema look, complete with popcorn stalls, vend-o machines, heavy drapes, and even a mock-up of a ticket counter adds to the atmosphere. Unfortunately it can also eat up a lot of your budget. Movie posters on the other hand are affordable, readily available online, and can better define your taste in films.

What to Consider:

Size

Size matters… in terms of picking your poster that is. Make sure you stick to one size that fits your wall best. Most US theaters use the “One-sheet” format (27”x40”) but there can be other sizes available in online stores. Check the size you are ordering before you seal the deal.

Backlighting

If you decide to use backlit frames, it would be a good idea to look for One-sheet (27”x40”) double sided prints or “DS posters”. These have aligned prints on both sides of the poster, which gives a better result when lighted from the back.

Theme

Pick a movie set that defines your taste. It could be genre specific or just simply a collection of your favorite movies. You may also want to pair posters with movies that are already in your DVD/Blu-ray collection.

Design

Choose different designs which show what the movie is about. If you already have 1 or 2 posters with close-ups of main characters, look for another type of design for the next movie posters you hang on your wall.

Here are some examples when choosing the design based on genre/design

Science Fiction

a. Star Wars (1977) – A sure classic among sci-fi enthusiasts would be the episode six (first movie) poster. Painted by the brothers Hildebrandt, this shows Luke (with his lightsaber held above his head), Leia and the 2 droids in the foreground, with Tie fighters, the Death star and a Tatooine landscape in the background. A silhouette of Darth Vader looks on from the starlit sky. It captures a lot of the cinema atmosphere of the late 70’s.

b. Matrix Reloaded (2003) – Nothing captures the spirit of the Matrix series better than the Reloaded poster. It shows the characteristic neon green text scrolling down the face of the poster with the text “MATRIX RELOADED 2003” at the bottom.

c. Star Trek (2009) – Bridging the 70’s sci-fi films and the modern sci-fi trends, the Starfleet insignia inspired design shows the modern cast with Nero, Uhura, Spock and Kirk in monotone colors characteristic of 70’s posters and designs.

Fantasy

a. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone (2001) – J.K. Rowling’s series’ popularity was turned to Hollywood gold. The poster shows Harry with Rubeus Hagrid looking at Hogwart’s from afar.

b. Twilight (2008) – The 2 main characters of the film defined the novel and the movies. The best poster to show that would be from the first Twilight movie. This shows a close-up of Edward with Bella close to his chest.

Horror movie posters for sale

a. The Sixth Sense (1999) – As enigmatic as the movie is the poster itself that shows numbers counting the senses from 1 to 5 with the light obstructed by Cole (the main character) forming the number 6.

b. Freddy  vs. Jason (2003) – The original movies (“A Nightmare on Elm Street“ and  “Friday the 13th” were better than this 2003 mash-up; but who can resist a poster that has both icons on it?

c. Dawn of the Dead (2004) – Zombies. No horror movie fan’s wall will be complete without it. 2004’s “Dawn of the Dead” poster will fill that space perfectly. Or you can go for Bob Clark’s “Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things” for a more humorous tone.

Animation movie posters

a. Finding Nemo (2003) – The Bruce poster says it all. It shows Bruce Grinning behind a scared Dory and Marlin.

b. The Lion King (1994) – One of the most beautiful posters around, it shows Rafiki presenting Simba on Pride Rock to the rest of the animals.

Action

a. Bullitt (1968) – Action = Car chases. And the best one is in “Bullitt”. Steve Mc Queen graces the photo with some cars speeding at the bottom.

b. Rambo: First Blood part 2 (1985) – Action stars should be bigger than their movies. A Sylvester Stallone poster is a must-have for Action movie buffs. 

c. The Losers (2010) – The poster is quite unique: with the whole cast staring down on you like you were one of the casualties. And with the catch phrase “Anyone else would be dead by now”, who wouldn’t want to see it?

Classics / Vintage movie posters for sale – When choosing classic or vintage films, choose movies with different genres.

a. Nosferatu – Horror/Silent Film

b. Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Romance/Comedy

c. Psycho – Psychological Thriller

d. Dr. No – Spy/Action