The 25 Best Movie Posters of 2020

Let’s stress one particular thing off the bat: some of these movies did not come out this year due to do to COVID-19 but their ad campaigns were already in motion before cinemas closed. This list does not compile the biggest hits or most acclaimed films of the year. This is the artwork we have chosen to be The 25 Best Movies Poster of 2020 regardless of quality or if the movie was even released (in theaters or otherwise).

Check out 2020’s visceral color schemes and overall striking imagery crafted by hungry artists in the gallery below!

We rummaged through hundreds of posters, astutely aware of the fact crafting a good movie poster is an art form in and of itself. A good movie poster not only sells tickets (or rentals) but becomes associated with its story in perpetuity. Think the pulpy style of the Star Wars franchise, the boyish whimsy of Raiders of the Lost Ark, or Uma Thurman smoking cigarettes on the poster for Pulp Fiction—imagery that has become associated with those properties all thanks to a good poster.

What do you think were the best movie posters of 2020? Let us know in the comments below.

The 25 Best Movie Posters of 2020

Alone

A widow on the run from a cold-blooded killer in the Pacific Northwest, Alone was praised by critics for its minimalistic approach to the thriller genre, Intermission Film’s poster uses the same approach to convey suspense.
Antebellum

Antebellum follows author Veronica Henley as she confronts her past, present, and future. The film opens with a quote by William Faulkner: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Leroy and Rose’s use of the butterfly in this poster represents change; in the context of Antebellum, it refers to the growth needed to overcome racism. Leroy and Rose also did work on the most recent Chaos Walking posters.
Arkansas

B O N D’s posters captures the low-key charm of this neo-noir film about two criminals going head-to-head with their boss, the Arkansas drug kingpin. Also check out B O N D’s awesome new poster for The Suicide Squad!
Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar

Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar was supposed to release this year but has since been pushed to July 16, 2021. Leroy and Rose’s bright, quirky, and ominous posters captures the Bridesmaids-esque (presumably) feel of this comedy written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo.
Birds of Prey

Birds of Prey puts Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) front and center, free of the Joker and teaming up with Huntress, Black Canary, and Renee Montoya. Designed by Concept Arts with photography by Zoey Grossman, this poster pretty much sums up the madness and colorful personality orbiting its main character.
Black Widow

This poster, illustrated by Andy Park, takes a comic-book/live-action hybrid approach to Natasha Romanoff’s long-awaited solo film—which takes place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. As cool as it is, it doesn’t make the wait for May 7th, 2021 any easier.
Color Out of Space

Color Out of Space, starring the illustrious Nicolas Cage, follows a family whose lives become a technicolor nightmare after a meteorite unleashes an extraterrestrial organism upon their farm. It’s so weird (and borderline bad,), it’s good. If nothing else, the film’s poster epitomizes its beautiful, technicolor chaos.
Emma

The latest Jane Austen adaptation, Emma, following the antics of matchmaker Emma Woodhouse circa Georgian/Regency-era England, is one of 2020’s best dramedies, and P+A’s upbeat piece reflects this.
Estate

Estate’s comedically dark plot—about a spoiled son and his billionaire dad’s wife, who form a weird bond with the hitman they hire to murder said billionaire (and then go on a killing spree)—is perhaps summed up best by this poster designed by Phil Bates Design and illustrated by James Goodridge.
Farewell Amor

The overlapping images in this poster mirror Farewell Amor’s story about an Angolan woman and her daughter who reunite with her husband/father after 17 years in exile. It’s a film about finding common ground, existing among one another.
Freaky

This poster by LA Design couldn’t be more appropriate. Freaky, one of the best slasher/body-swapping comedies in quite some time, follows a 17-year-old girl whose body is taken over by a middle-aged serial killer.
Free Guy

This poster, designed by LA with photography by Michael Muller, depicts the film’s tagline, “They wanted a hero, they got a guy.” When Ryan Reynolds’ NPC character removes his bank teller exterior, he’s not Superman, he’s still just a guy (or bank teller).
The French Dispatch

Javi Aznarez’s cartoonish take on Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch illuminates the director’s signature warm-and-fuzzy brand of melancholy, making us even more excited for the film’s release on January 28th, 2021.
The Green Knight

This poster designed by B O N D makes the upcoming adaptation of the Arthurian Legend poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight look like it’s going to be a Tarantino film...sounds good to us (July 30th, 2021).
The Hunt

The Hunt follows a group of stranger who wake up in the middle of nowhere, the target of a The Most Dangerous Game-like scenario. The film’s social satire—which strives towards and allegorical representation of political divide/classicism—isn’t as successful as it wants to be. The poster (designed by LA) does a better job by referencing George Orwell’s Animal Farm (hence the pig).
Inherit the Viper

BLT Communications LLC’s poster for Inherit the Viper uses opioids to form the shape of a gun, perfect for a crime family in the opioid business.
Mank

Blurry, black-and-white, and batshit crazy, this poster for one of the year’s best films about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his work on Citizen Kane is as interesting as its subject matter.
Mulan

Designed by Poster Posse and illustrated by Nicky Barkla, this Mulan poster is a perfect marriage of its animated roots and live-action present—nostalgia activated.
1BR

1BR follows a woman who movies into a seemingly normal apartment complex. As you can see by the poster, “normal” is a very subjective, and sometimes horrific, term.
Palm Springs

Perhaps one of the best comedies of the years, Palm Springs follows Nyles and Sarah, stuck in a time loop and reliving the same wedding day (as guests) over and over again. Legion Creative Group puts them in the same pool and the same road that they always seem to find themselves in/on.
The Place of No Words

The Place of No Words, about a young boy exploring the world with his father, emphasizes scenery/taking it all in—as does its poster.
Promising Young Woman

Art Machine’s poster for Promising Young Woman is simple yet effective, showing us the side of Carey Mulligan’s character righting past wrongs (so to speak).
The Rental

The Rental takes the concept of Airbnb—where one comfortably/safely rents a property from a total stranger—and turns it on its head. Its poster does so literally.
The Tax Collector

Stockholm Design’s pulpy The Tax Collector poster is much more fun/epic than the film it represents...
Wonder Woman 1984

This Christmas, we finally get to see Wonder Woman battle the Cheetah; Works ADV’s Wonder Woman 1984 poster capturing the vibrancy of its era and genre.