Pretty much every major film gets at least one poster, so it’s tough to find standouts among the pack of floating heads, blue-orange color schemes (thankfully, that color scheme looks like it’s on its last legs), and other bland marketing designed to reach everyone and no one.
However, there are always posters that break through and manage to catch our eyes though inventive design. They may just be posters we see online rather than a multiplex, but they still stand out and deserve notice.
Below, I’ve ranked the top 20 posters of 2017. For a poster to qualify for the list, the film had to come out in 2017 (so you won’t find any posters for 2018 movies; look for those next year!), had to be released by a studio (so no Mondo posters), and only one poster per film was allowed.
20) The Hitman's Bodyguard
Yes, it’s a parody of the poster for 1992’s The Bodyguard. I’ll allow it.
19) The Fate of the Furious
It’s rare that a poster accidentally highlights the real-life feud between its stars.
18) John Wick: Chapter 2
This is a cool way of showing that more people are going after John Wick in the sequel and he’s not even bothered. I hope the poster for Chapter 3 is someone aiming a nuclear warhead at him.
17) The Post
I really dig the design here, showing two of the biggest stars dwarfed by the weight of the story.
16) Star Wars: The Last Jedi
No, it’s not the classic look of the Drew Struzan Star Wars posters, but I like the symmetry and the use of red.
15) Ingrid Goes West
This is a creative approach to show the creepy and social media aspects of the story.
14) Brigsby Bear
If you want to show that your movie is both charming and weird in a single image, this is a good way to do it.
13) The Dark Tower
It’s a bad movie, but I appreciate the use of showing the tower through the outline and then having McConaughey walking upside down.
12) IT
I’m cure there was a temptation to go big and highlight more of Pennywise, but I love that this poster goes for subtle and creepy.
11) Spider-Man: Homecoming
If you want to quickly establish that this is a completely different kind of Spider-Man movie, especially for people who haven’t seen Captain America: Civil War, this is a great way to show a clean break from the Amazing Spider-Man movies.
10) Logan
Speaking of superhero movies that break from previous installments, this Logan poster does a great job of taking its titular character and putting him into the mold of a western.
9) Thor: Ragnarok
Marvel has definitely struggled with its posters in the past as it tries to cram in a bunch of characters, but the design of this one is outstanding as it manages to fit in all the major characters while also highlighting the vibrant color palette.
8) Split
Since James McAvoy probably isn’t going to drive people to the theater anyway, why not show his “personalities” struggling to get out of his skull?
7) Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
This is a really creative way to showcase the personality of the Guardians movies, and I like that it continues to cleverly hide who Kurt Russell is playing.
6) Baby Driver
Although I also like the main poster for this film, I have to give the edge to the teaser that highlights the importance of sound, crime, and driving all in a single image.
5) Wonder Woman
All the Wonder Woman posters were outstanding, but I love this one’s use of color, the tagline, and the pose.
4) The Shape of Water
PROTIP: Get James Jean to do artwork for your poster.
3) mother!
No, seriously, get James Jean to do the artwork for your poster.
2) Alien: Covenant
It’s pretty awesome that they based this poster off Renaissance artwork to evoke a descent into Hell.
1) The Snowman
Think about the journey of this poster. It started out as genuinely creepy, and then when the movie turned out to be hot garbage, it became unintentionally hilarious. Poorly-Drawn Snowman is my spirit animal for 2017.
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