Big-name collectors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicolas Cage are prepared to stump up hundreds of thousands of dollars for the rarest, most sought-after classic movie posters. Yet even relatively recent and commonly available specimens can be worth good money. Click or scroll through 25 posters you may have gathering dust somewhere, as well as 25 of the most valuable examples ever.

American double-sided one-sheet posters for this much-loved Disney/Pixar movie weren't printed in huge quantities and are therefore the most desirable. They can fetch up to $80 (£59) in decent condition.

Got an original Kill Bill poster stashed away in a basement or attic? The rarer teaser posters that are printed on mylar foil are prized among fans of the ultra-violent Tarantino movie and sell for up to $150 (£110) apiece. 

Original American posters for this landmark 1980s teen comedy are reasonably hard to track down, and as a result they tend to achieve very healthy prices at auction, anything up to $200 (£147). 

Staying with classic 1980s movies, original one-sheet US posters for the hit romantic drama Dirty Dancing are commonplace but unrolled mint-condition examples are pretty valuable, selling for up to $200 (£147) apiece. 

An iconic design, the artwork for the Silence of the Lambs poster features a hidden image – the skull is actually formed by several nude women, a nod to the famous photo of Salvador Dalí by Phillippe Halsman. Mint copies of the US one-sheet poster are worth up to $200 (£147).

The Twilight of the 1980s, this teen vampire movie has a dedicated following willing to drop large sums of cash on anything remotely connected with it. Original American one-sheet posters sell for up to $400 (£294), and the British quad versions are worth up to $300 (£220) each.

If you happen to have a Japanese poster for Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s cult classic French rom-com, Amelie, then you’re in luck. The sought after poster featuring Audrey Tatou's titular character Amelie reading in bed sold for a not too shabby $374 (£275) at auction in December 2021.

 

Die-hard fans of the late David Bowie will pay through the nose for an original British one-sheet poster for The Man Who Fell to Earth, which was released back in 1976. Copies in perfect condition realise up to $400 (£294) at auction.

Real-deal one-sheet posters for this hilarious and heart-warming 1980s comedy are surprisingly valuable. An unrolled mint-condition example has sold on eBay for just shy of $400 (£294).

The 2016 reboot may have disappointed, but the original Ghostbusters is adored by fans the world over and authentic posters promoting the movie are in high demand, with one-sheeters in good condition going for up to $500 (£367).

American The Big Lebowski movie posters are ten a penny, but a signed version (by actors John Goodman and John Turturro) of the US poster sold for $1,850 (£1.4k) in a Sotheby's auction in March 2020. That said, typically British double-sided quad versions are rarer. This particular promo for the cult Coen brothers' classic went under the hammer for $500 (£367) in 2018.

Genuine posters promoting the 1985 US release of Back to the Future aren't in short supply, but mint-condition examples are quite difficult to find. They can sell for up to $500 (£367) on a good day.

As if by magic, copies of the original advance one-sheet poster for the debut Harry Potter movie have skyrocketed in price in recent years with muggle collectors paying up to $600 (£440) for a mint specimen these days.

A triumph of movie poster design, the original Alien “in space no one can hear you scream” poster is held in high esteem among collectors. In perfect condition, the real deal one-sheeter can fetch up to $600 (£400) at auction.

This laugh-a-second disaster movie spoof was a major critical and commercial success, and original Robert Grossman-designed posters for the 1980 comedy are worth a tidy sum, anything up to $600 (£440) in good condition.

Do you have the version of the Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark poster from 1981 that name-checks director Steven Spielberg? Well, one from the personal collection of Hannibal and American Gods creator Bryan Fuller was sold for $681 (£500) at auction in December 2021. A British version of the rare poster also fetched a cool $477 (£350) at the same auction.

Original American one-sheet posters for this Steven Spielberg blockbuster are ubiquitous but mint-condition copies are rather scarce. They can fetch up to $700 (£514), and sometimes even more at auction.

Collectors will part with up to $800 (£587) to bag an original American advance double-sided one-sheet poster promoting The Matrix. Bus stop, subway and extra-large French promo posters are even more valuable, selling for up to $1,000 (£734) a pop.

This seminal gangster movie starring Al Pacino as unstable drug dealer Tony Montana is considered one of the best films ever made. Original one-sheet posters for the US release are worth up to $1,200 (£881).

This American Style B one-sheet poster promoting the enchanting children's classic from 1964 is worth big bucks. Harder to find than the Style A version, it can go for up to $1,300 (£954) at auction. 

A collector's favourite, the original American one-sheet Jaws poster from 1975 is one of the strongest and most eye-catching ever created. Mint-condition examples of the Roger Kastel-designed poster sell for up to $1,300 (£954).

Got an original US Pulp Fiction poster? Check if the cigarette packet in the image is branded Lucky Strike. The original posters had to be changed following pressure from British American Tobacco and later copies feature an unbranded packet. The rarer Lucky Strike versions are now worth up to $1,500 (£1.1k).

The last surviving extra-large lobby poster for Blade Runner sold for $25,000 (£18.3k). Regular American one-sheet posters for the 1982 neo-noir sc-fi movie aren't quite as valuable, but can fetch up to $1,600 (£1.2k) in pristine condition.

Stanley Kubrick's mind-bending sc-fi masterpiece is one of the most critically-acclaimed movies of all time, so it's no wonder original American one-sheet posters for 2001: A Space Odyssey command prices of up to $1,600 (£1.2k) at auction.

The original US movie theatre promo for Star Wars is the most bootlegged movie poster out there. If you do actually own a bona fide American one-sheeter from 1977, you're in the money – the real McCoys fetch up to $2,600 (£1.9k).

Before running with the title, Return of the Jedi, the third Star Wars instalment from 1983 was set to be called Revenge of the Jedi. Over 6,000 teaser posters with this title were created, and if you happen to be a lucky owner, then one example fetched an impressive $3,404 (£2.5k) at auction in December 2021.

Got an original E.T. poster? The regular poster featuring E.T. and Elliott touching fingers is iconic, but this rarer US advance spaceship version is the most valuable. Mint copies fetch up to $4,000 (£2.9k) at auction.

The previously mentioned Star Wars posters aren't the only examples worth serious cash. This rarer British quad poster for the debut movie is even more valuable. Collectors with deep pockets will pay up to $4,200 (£3k) for a genuine copy.

Featuring the iconic "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" tagline, a Star Wars: A New Hope poster from 1977 is yet another example of a money-spinning space saga poster. The highly collectible and hard-to-find poster fetched $4,426 (£3,250) at an auction in December 2021.

 

 

 

 

Want to know which movie posters are the most valuable ever? Original promos for classics from the 1920s and 1930s, particularly early horror and sci-fi films, as well as musicals and comedies, attract the highest prices. So without further ado, here are 25 of the all-time most expensive.

This insert poster for Werewolf of London, one of the so-called Universal monster movies of the 1930s, fetched $59,750 (£43.9k) at a Heritage Auctions sale in Dallas back in 2007. Heritage is renowned for its movie poster sales and has offloaded many of the world's most valuable specimens. 

Considered highly desirable by serious collectors, examples of this rare Style B poster for the 1933 movie Son of Kong hardly ever come up for auction. When they do, the bidding is fierce. This specimen went for $69,000 (£50.6k) at a Heritage sale in 2006.

This one-sheet poster for the 1946 movie Gilda, which shows sultry Rita Hayworth holding a cigarette, achieved $77,675 (£57k) when it went under the hammer in 2014. Like the lion's share of the super-valuable posters in this round-up, it was sold by Heritage Auctions in Dallas.

Back to Universal monster movies, this American half-sheet poster for Son of Frankenstein, the 1939 film starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, grossed $89,625 (£65.8k) at a Heritage sale in 2007.

The only Western poster in our round-up, this one-sheeter promoting the Oscar-winning movie Cimarron came up for auction in 2012 and sold for almost ten times its estimate, fetching $101,575 (£82.4k).

Posters for this controversial pre-code horror movie, which was banned for years, were produced in very small quantities, making them exceedingly rare. An insert copy realised $107,550 (£64.5k) at a Heritage sale in 2009.

Not to be confused with the 1997 blockbuster of the same name, this Men in Black movie was a vehicle for comedy trio The Three Stooges. A poster for the film went under the hammer at Sotheby's New York in 1998 for $109,750 (£65.9k).

Collectors will pay through the nose for original Soviet movie posters. This striking poster for Dziga Vertov's 1929 silent documentary Man with the Movie Camera sold for £110,000 ($135,600) at Christie's London in 2012.

Just about any item associated with Babe Ruth will sell for huge sums of money, and this one-sheet poster for the storied baseball player's 1927 comedy, now a lost film, is no different. It achieved $138,000 (£73.1k) at a Heritage Auctions sale in Dallas in 2007.

The most expensive Disney movie poster ever, a one-sheet version of the poster for The Mad Doctor, a zany Mickey Mouse film from 1933, fetched $138,000 (£73.1k) at a Heritage Auctions sale in 2006. 

The only copy to have ever surfaced, this restored one-sheet Style A poster for landmark 1931 gangster movie The Public Enemy was sold by Heritage Auctions in 2016 for $167,300 (£135.7k).

Original posters promoting The Maltese Falcon, which stars legend of the silver screen Humphrey Bogart, are as rare as hen's teeth. The only known six-sheet copy that has come up for auction went for $191,200 (£155.1k) at a Heritage sale in 2015. 

This poster for 1925 horror movie The Phantom of the Opera is one of only four in existence and once belonged to actor Nicolas Cage. It realised $203,150 (£111.7k) at a Heritage Auctions sale back in 2004.

Breaking the record for most expensive Australian movie poster sold at auction, this 1928 beauty for the 1927 retro-futuristic classic Metropolis, which was designed by illustrator Bernie Bragg, realised $215,100 (£175k) at a Heritage sale in Dallas in 2017.

A mint-condition one-sheet poster for the cheery Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical from 1933 went under the hammer at a Heritage Auctions sale in Dallas in 2008, fetching a hefty $239,000 (£119.5k).

This one-sheet teaser for The Invisible Man, the tongue-in-cheek horror classic from 1933, realised a not-too-shabby $274,850 (£222.9k) at auction in 2017. It was yet another movie poster sold by Heritage in Dallas.

This one-sheet copy of the Style B poster for The Black Cat, a 1934 movie headlined by the titans of early horror Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, realised $334,600 (£117.3k) in 2007 at the Heritage Auctions sale in Dallas.

A super-rare poster advertising the sequel to the seminal Frankenstein movie from 1931, which stars Boris Karloff, came up for auction in 2007 and sold for a very respectable $334,600 (£117.3k).

Going one better, a poster for the debut Frankenstein movie achieved $358,500 (£291k) at a Heritage Auctions sale in 2015. The only six-foot example of the 1931 poster, it was discovered by collector Steve Wilkin in a shuttered movie theatre in Long Island.

A genuine three-sheet poster promoting the very first King Kong movie fetched a supersized $388,375 (£315k) at a Heritage Auctions sale in Dallas back in 2012. The poster was in remarkably mint condition, hence the high price.

When this original poster for The Mummy sold at Sotheby's New York in 1997 for $453,500 (£272k), it was the most expensive ever sold at auction, and held the record for eight years. Only two copies are thought to exist.

The joint third most expensive movie poster sold at auction, the last surviving copy of this US poster for London After Midnight, a silent horror film starring Lon Chaney, sold for $478,000 (£388k) at a Heritage Auctions sale in 2014.

In 2017, an Italian poster for the iconic 1942 movie Casablanca realised $478,000 (£388k) at a Heritage sale in Dallas. In recent years, the auction house has sold a number of posters for the film, each of which has gone under the hammer for several hundred thousand dollars.

A one-sheet copy of the poster for the 1931 Dracula movie starring Bela Lugosi fetched $525,800 (£426k) at a Heritage sale in Dallas in 2017, smashing the record for the most expensive movie poster sold at auction.

The holy grail, an original three-sheet German/international poster for the Fritz Lang classic was bought privately in 2006 by actor Leonardo DiCaprio for a staggering $690,000 (£365.7k). Just four copies of the Art Deco masterpiece, which was designed by artist Heinz Schulz-Neudamm, are known to exist.

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