So far, 2022 has been stellar for movies, one of the latest of which is Thor: Love and Thunder. The blockbuster hit rolled out a slew of colorful and bold promotional posters throughout 2022 to garner anticipation for its arrival. The most shocking of these was a character poster for Jane, who confidently wields Mjölnir over her head on a mountaintop.
Artists have showcased creativity and ingenuity in posters this year, notably for various movies like X and Everything Everywhere All At Once. With the first half of 2022 out of the way, here are the best posters to promote great movies so far. Here's hoping the latter half of this year continues to deliver.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness
One of the latest and greatest Marvel box office hits was Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, directed by Sam Raimi. The film is now available on Disney+, and its poster will not easily be forgotten. Not only does the poster depict Doctor Strange in an action-filled moment, fighting something on the other side of the poster, but it also shows shattered glass with faces inside.
This cleverly includes the remaining cast of the film, while nodding at the multiverse of madness that Strange will descend into in the movie. Its bleak tones hint at a darker story and the broken glass foretells a jagged future for the Master of the Mystic Arts.
Scream (2022)
The most iconic scary phone call in horror movies happened in 1996 but got a modern twist in Scream (2022) with Jenna Ortega. With a long-running franchise like Scream, fans might have been skeptical of how good the fifth installment would be.
In no small part due to the movie's posters, however, fans' concerns were eased. A white-knuckled hand grips that genre-defining mask, almost to its breaking point. This poster reminds us that it doesn't take something new and inventive to promote a movie. It can just return to the basics and let the movie do the talking.
X
Ti West's vision for X may not have been typical of horror movies, as he brings together two seemingly unrelated themes, which are adult films and the horror genre. In the first poster for his masterpiece, the catchy, '70s-honoring phrase "dying to show you a good time" appears between a bold 'X' and a woman's crossed legs.
This poster conveys the message West wants viewers to receive. There's a sense of sensuality in this film that is ultimately clouded by sheer horror, and it's delivered in 1970s slasher form. The blood spatters on the sensually crossed legs and the warm color palette perfectly encapsulate this.
Marry Me
Rom-coms don't typically have outstanding posters compared to, for example, indie films. But Marry Me stands out as creative and genius in its subtlety. There's nothing inherently special about Charlie and Kat walking down the street together, but the posters behind them make this a phenomenal movie poster.
The wall subtly hints at Kat's romantic journey, which is leaving one love behind to find another, simpler (even crazier) love. Fans who noticed this might have foreseen Marry Me's ability to avoid rom-com tropes.
Everything Everywhere All At Once
One of the most genre-bending movies of 2022 is Everything Everywhere All At Once, which cleverly explores at least seven film genres. This is a unique multiverse movie that truly feels like a survey of everything, everywhere, at times, all at once.
A movie with that title and goal should have a poster that conveys the same ideals, and it does not disappoint. With a bagel-shaped outline around the center and multiversal versions of the main characters, this poster nails the perfectly planned chaos that is Everything Everywhere All At Once.
The Requin
A movie that might not have gotten the attention it deserves is The Requin. While it may fall into a cookie-cutter formula for a shark movie, its promotional poster offered an innovative change to the sub-genre.
Sharks swimming in circles is typical, but The Requin's poster has an eerie sense of motion in it. It seems as if the debris Jaelyn and Kyle lay on is coming apart, hinting that their chance of survival is quickly lowering. This shark movie poster achieves what many cannot, which is the idea that the waters are actually moving.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Though the second installment in the Sonic The Hedgehog movie franchise didn't include Amy Rose, it had many good elements to make it a solid film. The artists for the poster took into consideration what was enjoyable in posters, and that is the floating head trope.
Many posters (mostly Marvel) have fallen into a pattern, but this one slightly breaks it and leans heavily on the core elements of Sonic. With all of the characters inside a ring, the poster maintains a popular style while putting its own twist on it.
The Batman
In early 2022, Robert Pattinson took the world by storm as the latest Batman. He played a younger yet grittier neo-noir version of the Caped Crusader who found struggle in solving The Riddler's inquiries.
While there are two other iconic The Batman posters, this one specifically stands out as creative and creepy. Fans who saw the movie know that The Riddler was found and arrested with a cup of coffee in front of him (a part of his plan). This poster depicts that creepy calmness that would soon infect much of the film's time, as well as using the well-known catchphrase and the question mark that audiences immediately associate with the villain.
The Black Phone
Ethan Hawke's latest contribution to the horror genre is a chilling thriller revolving around a sadistic kidnapper and a rotary phone. The Black Phone hit theaters in late June and has been well-received. Its poster idea was simple in that it portrayed The Grabber's half-mask and magician outfit.
One of Scott Derrickson's best-ranked films has a poster with a smiling mask and eerily calm and darkened eyes. The dichotomy of themes in the poster alone is chilling, revealing that this dark movie might capture the minds of its viewers.
The Outfit
Another mobster film was overdue before The Outfit came along. But when it did, it brought with it a fantastic promotional poster. Its mob man and tailor tie-in are seen in the silhouette and shadow, while the mysterious themes and aspects of tailoring are seen in a dotting line cascading the poster.
This poster combines these themes creatively and has a color scheme that honors many other mobster films before it. With art as original as its plot, this poster is perfect for the film.