The 10 Best Movie Poster Designs of 2022
Here we present an edit of some of the very best movie posters of 2022 that have been enticing movie goers in recent months. While there are still movie studios churning out the same old generic posters, there is a continuing push towards movie poster designs in 2022 that break the stylistic mould, showcasing bold poster typography, creative character photography and art direction that is more than deserving of a second look.
In spite of the 2020 pandemic slashing cinema revenue, the movie industry is bouncing back with enthusiasm. 2021 and 2022 have seen a slew of arthouse gems, blood-rushing blockbusters and no doubt future classics (see Promising Young Woman). With such a diverse range of films being released, the movie poster art is equally varied, giving viewers an immersive preview of the movie from only one static image.
1. Promising Young Woman (2020)
Released at the tail end of 2020, Promising Young Woman was a Christmas present for fans of twisted and offbeat cinema. The film is a darkly provocative thriller written and directed by Emerald Fennell, that narrates the revenge story of its protagonist, Cassie. If you’ve not yet seen it, no spoilers to be revealed here, but rest assured, it’s well worth your time.
The poster art is just as absorbing as the film itself, with an 80s-inspired style that playfully references movies such as Dirty Dancing as well as vintage horrors and hardcore movies. The alternative poster sees a blurred-out Carey Mulligan writing lipstick text onto a bar bathroom mirror, again expertly blending girlish and horror elements to intriguing effect.
The cinematography in Promising Young Woman also has a satisfying graphic style, with the characters framed against pastel-soaked backdrops, making an unsettlingly saccharine contrast with the disturbing content of the plot.
2. The Batman (2022)
This dark and edgy take on the DC Comics franchise is deserving of dramatically moody poster art, and the designs don’t disappoint. Simple character posters are presented in a stark red and black palette, with both Batman and Riddler posing in suitably enigmatic form. White space is used generously on the designs to further emphasise the bleakness and drama of the Gotham-set film.
3. X (2022)
A slasher movie with quirk, X follows a group of actors as they set out to make an adult film in rural Texas in the 1970s. Before long the plot descends into pure horror territory, and for slasher fans the film certainly delivers on retro gore.
The poster designs for X balance nostalgia with a contemporary immediacy. Photography is high-definition and intimate, with a barn-inspired ‘X’ aggressively placed across the portrait shots. A simple and memorable poster design that pays tribute to retro slashers. We also love the alternative poster created for the film by Sean Lazonby, which dials up the retro factor with pulp fiction styling and flat acid color.
4. Everything Everywhere All At Once
A sci-fi black comedy from the Daniels—directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—Everything Everywhere All At Once follows the multi-universal adventures of a Chinese immigrant, played by Michelle Yeoh. The mesmerising poster artwork created by Taiwanese-American artist James Jean is true to Jean’s signature fantastical comic book style, with the eclectic insanity of the film reimagined in 2D format. No mean feat, but Jean’s immersive illustrations do a stellar job.
5. The Northman (2022)
The character posters released by the studio for Viking epic The Northman were edging on generic historic-action fare, but an alternative poster design created by Edgar Ascensao gives the movie’s runic typography a more fitting graphic setting.
A vintage-inspired flat style, sparse and dramatic use of primal color and story-telling imagery makes for a poster that communicates a sense of folkloric adventure.
6. Blonde (2022)
Directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Ana de Armas as the doomed Hollywood icon, the Netflix Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde sets out to present Marilyn’s life story in a different, self-narrated light, in particular exploring the ‘widening split between her public and private selves’.
The teaser poster for Blonde outstyles the later official posters, with its newspaper collage design, giving the audience a sense of How Marilyn was hounded by the press and her own famous persona at the height of her stardom.
7. ELVIS (2022)
Baz Luhrmann’s highly-anticipated musical biography ELVIS is a multi-decade epic, charting the rise of the King of Rock n’ Roll, from his childhood in Mississippi to his conquering of Las Vegas as the leotard-clad legend the world eternally remembers.
The character posters for ELVIS pay tribute to the musician’s iterations, from Fifties blues singer to his bejewelled days in Vegas at the twilight of Elvismania. Ornate and baroque, with a nod to brash Las Vegas decor, the poster designs act as near-devotional tributes to the different ages of Elvis.
8. The Green Knight (2021)
The Green Knight is an epic medieval fantasy starring Dev Patel as Sir Gawain, the headstrong nephew of King Arthur. He embarks on a quest to seek out and confront the Green Knight, a legendary figure with emerald skin, who is a tester of men. The movie is undoubtedly a bit weird, but nonetheless absorbing, and the poster artwork captures the offbeat feel of the film. Game of Thrones territory this is not, but rather an arthouse take on medieval folklore.
Graphic and restricted use of color takes a leaf out of Tarantino’s poster artwork playbook, with simplified Blackletter-inspired typography creating a finely-tuned balance between period and modernity.
9. Little Fish (2020)
A romantic movie with a gently sci-fi character, Little Fish tells the story of a couple struggling to keep their relationship intact as a memory loss virus spreads worldwide. With an eerily similar theme to the real-life pandemic, Little Fish was nonetheless in development beforehand, but perhaps leaves a more menacing aftertaste than originally intended.
The movie poster designs for Little Fish communicate a sense of intimate wistfulness and indie romance, rather than anything too dark, and the painterly design of the first poster is suitably ethereal. The second poster design has a more collage-inspired style which sets a more romantic mood, albeit in arthouse fashion.
10. Anonymous Club
An intimate portrayal of elusive singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett, Anonymous Club takes the audience inside the world of the enigmatic Australian indie rockstar over a three-year period. Beset with self-doubt and anxiety, Barnett’s highs and lows are revealed in unflinching detail, resulting in a film that is as much about the torment of creativity as the mental pressures of fame and performance.
The poster artwork for Anonymous Club has an elusive and spiritual style, while staying true to the trademarks of indie style, such as rough-printed typography and grunge collage. The poster communicates Barnett’s sense of self-analysis and isolation, while enticing the viewer into wanting to know more about this elusive musician.
