Reproduction movie posters are everywhere, and some look convincing in a listing photo. The good news is that originals, the posters printed to hang in theaters, give themselves away in a few simple ways. Here's what to look for.
1. Check the size
This is the quickest test. A standard US theatrical poster, called a one sheet, measured about 27 x 41 inches until the mid-1980s, when 27 x 40 inches started taking over. The change wasn't overnight. Theaters replaced their poster light boxes at different times, so from then on studios often printed both sizes of the same poster, and 27 x 41 posters were still being made into the early 2000s. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), for example, was printed in both.
Reproductions, on the other hand, usually come in sizes studios almost never used for theaters. The most common are 24 x 36, 22 x 34 and 27 x 39 inches. If a "vintage original" is one of those sizes, be very careful. See our guide to movie poster sizes for the other formats.
2. Folded or rolled?
Until the late 1980s and early 1990s, posters were sent to theaters folded, usually into eighths. So a 1970s one sheet with neat fold lines is exactly what you'd expect. A perfectly rolled poster from the 1960s or 70s isn't automatically fake, as some were rolled for collectors, but it's worth asking questions. Since the 1990s, nearly all posters ship rolled.
3. Is it double sided?
Since the late 1990s, most theatrical one sheets are printed on both sides, with a mirror image on the back so the poster glows in a theater's light box. Hold one up to a window and the colors look rich and deep. Most reproductions are printed on one side only. A single-sided poster can still be original, especially an older one, but a double-sided modern poster is a very good sign.
4. Look for the NSS number
From the 1940s until the mid-1980s, most US posters were distributed by the National Screen Service and carry a small NSS number in the bottom border, such as 77/123.
A lot of people think this is a unique serial number for each poster, but it isn't. The first part is the year the film was released, and the second part is which film of that year it was. So 77/123 means a 1977 release, the 123rd film catalogued that year. Every poster for that film carries the same number, because it was simply how NSS kept track of posters in its warehouses. An R in front, like R82/45, marks a reissue.
Many reproductions leave the NSS number out, or show one that doesn't match the film's year.
5. Read the small print
Original posters were printed with offset lithography, so the tiny credits at the bottom, called the billing block, are sharp and clean even under a magnifying glass. Reproductions are usually scanned and reprinted, which leaves the small text blurry, fuzzy or broken into dots. Look for the studio copyright line, the printer's name and, on films from 1968 onwards, the rating box.
6. Feel the paper
Modern originals are printed on a coated paper that's a little thinner than the paper used for older posters.
Older originals were printed on uncoated paper, a little thicker, with a different, rougher feel. That paper ages naturally over the years, so a vintage original won't have a bright white back. Turn it over and you should see an even, aged tone. A crisp, bright white back on a supposedly vintage poster is a warning sign, and so is very thick, very bright or photo-paper style printing.
7. Consider the seller and the price
A rare original selling for a few dollars, or a "vintage" poster offered in a pile of identical copies, is a warning sign. Buy from a dealer who guarantees what they sell and describes condition honestly.
Every poster at Movie Art Arena is a guaranteed original. We've sold original theatrical posters since 2001, and every listing shows the size, whether it's single or double sided, rolled or folded, and its condition. Our Grading Guide explains exactly what each condition means.