Original movie posters (or film posters) were exclusively made for cinema advertising. Unlike today, vintage filmposters were available only to movie theaters, they were NOT sold to the general public. Cinema owners had to buy movie posters and lobby cards and they received a credit for any promotional material returned to the movieposter exchange. Alternatively, the posters would be shipped direc
tly to the next cinema along with the film print. This way, film posters would often travel the exhibition circuit until they literally fell to pieces. When a movie went out of circulation, the studios frequently discarded any remaining posters. Ultimately, the vast majority of vintage movie posters was destroyed. For many of the most important films in Hollywood history, less than a handful of original release posters have survived. Collecting movieposters is a comparatively young hobby, but the demand for quality material has increased dramatically over the last few decades: In 1974, a 1931 US onesheet for FRANKENSTEIN sold for $1,000 (believed to be the highest price paid for a movie poster at the time). In 2005, a private collector paid $690,000 for an original 1927 German poster on the science fiction classic METROPOLIS, a world record that still stands today. While filmposters have become an investment opportunity for some, the majority of fans and collectors still enjoys them as lasting reminders of their favorite movies. Plus, movie posters make a great present!
