Most Valuable Movie Posters of All Time

In the pre-Rotten Tomatoes dark ages, it was oftentimes an eye-catching movie poster that’d reel you into the theater for a few hours of cinematic stimuli. Ads for beloved classic films were often gorgeous works of graphic art. And since theater operators trashed much of this promotional paper after the final credits rolled, it became incredibly valuable.   

Among high-end collectors, vintage Universal Studios’ horror movie posters top the list of blue-chip investments. Popping with colorful visages of monsters, mummies and vampires, many of these super-scarce posters command shockingly high prices at major auction houses.

We’re unrolling some of the most expensive movie posters, spanning several film genres and nearly 80 years of movie history.   

Before diving into this lucrative hobby, familiarize yourself with a few must-know terms.

One sheet: Refers to the standard dimensions of an official studio-issued movie poster, usually measuring 27 by 41 inches. As posters increase in size, they’re dubbed “three sheets,” “four sheets” and so forth. Prior to the mid-1980s, most one sheets were folded and mailed to theaters in envelopes. Nowadays they’re rolled and shipped inside poster tubes.

“Advance” and/or “Teaser”: Much like an on-screen trailer, these are “coming attraction” posters displayed in theaters in advance of a movie’s premiere.

Year: 1980

Poster style: U.S. one sheet

Value: $500

Bottom line: Is there a more perfect visual metaphor for 21st-century airline travel than this side-splitting spoof’s poster picturing an airplane tied in a knot?

“Surely, you can’t be serious?”   

“I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.”

As long as you haven’t picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue, mint copies can be had for about $500 on eBay as well as from reputable, knowledgeable online dealer CineMasterpieces.

*Note: Ranking is based on Top Dollar’s “Priceless Prints” report as well as our own editorial research.

Year: 1982

Poster style: U.S. advance teaser one sheet

Value: $2,000

Bottom line: Though not the priciest “Star Wars” poster in the galaxy, this Episode VI one sheet is the most infamous and widely bootlegged. Before the 1983 release of “Return of the Jedi,” the movie was briefly re-titled “Revenge of the Jedi.” The studio printed nearly 9,000 posters with that title and began shipping them to theaters.

In late ’82, George Lucas decided the word “Revenge” was unbefitting of a peaceful Jedi knight, so he reverted to the original “Return.” The previously shipped posters were recalled, while the 6,800 copies still on hand were sold via mail order to Star Wars Fan Club members for $9.50 each.

Today, the fan club posters (tag-lined with the movie’s May 25, 1983, release date) can fetch up to $2,000 in pristine condition. The rarer version shipped to cinemas, lacking the release date, can net $3,000 and up. But buyer beware. The market is flooded with fakes.   

Year: 1994

Poster style: U.S. advance one sheet

Value: $2,000

Bottom line: In the months leading up to the film’s opening, theaters displayed this teaser poster featuring an alluring Uma Thurman smoking a cigarette. The image is nearly identical to the final-release poster, however subtle differences include the Lucky Strike-brand pack of smokes on the bed.

This caught the eye of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which threatened to sue Miramax for featuring its product without permission. To stub-out impending copyright litigation, the studio recalled the posters. Naturally, some copies were never returned and nowadays this rarity sells for $1,000 to $2,000, depending on condition. Beware bootlegs on eBay.