Paint & Clones & Dr Jones – Our 10 Favorite Movie Posters from 2023
by Alex Billington
December 20, 2023
With the year almost over, it’s time to look back and highlight some favorites from the world of movies. Our writer Ethan Anderton used to publish his picks for the Best Official Movie Posters for years, but I’ve taken over and have curated a selection of my own top picks in poster design. Below is my personal selection of 10 Favorite Movie Posters from 2023. These aren’t necessarily the “best” rather they’re my own favorites that stuck with me. The qualification is that they must be official posters released by the distributor, not fan art or other posters created unofficially. This year I found quite a few of the more minimalistic designs really stuck with me – which was the opposite of last year. I’m a sucker for strong visuals always enjoy watching for new poster drops all year, hoping for some real winners. These 10 posters stuck with me as compelling, eye-catching, creative designs that really make me want to watch every one of the films. Check them out below.
Here are my 10 favorite posters. Full-size image can always be found on our favorite poster site IMPAwards.
Poor Things (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
Design by Vasilis Marmatakis [Website]
Brilliant film, brilliant poster. It makes even more sense once you’ve seen the film and understand what this is depicting. Why that’s Bella Baxter! I love a good “screw it, let’s try something extra kooky” poster concept.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (dir. James Mangold)
Artwork by Tony Stella [Website]
The classic Drew Struzan design concept for Indiana Jones updated ever so perfectly for Dial of Destiny by the talented Tony Stella, giving it his own unique flair. Love it. He nailed this (and yes I love the movie, too).
Saw X (dir. Kevin Greutert)
Design by Concept Arts [Agency]
Another eye-catching design that is minimalistic and clean yet oh so gross and enticing. One of the best uses of a Saw trap to create the sequel’s title out of any poster from this horror franchise. Simple yet evocative.
Paint (dir. Brit McAdams)
Design by GrandSon [Agency]
Not a fan of the film, wish it was better, but the poster is still one of my favorites anyway. That hair behind the painting reveals exactly who this guy is supposed to be and make you want to learn more about the film.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (dir. Jeff Rowe)
Artwork by Doaly [Website]
Cowabunga! Pizza and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles go together like peanut butter & jelly. Mmm pizza. Doaly went even further having the pile of boxes become a pedestal for these kick ass brothers to appear on.
They Cloned Tyrone (dir. Juel Taylor)
Design by Sister Hyde / GrandSon [Agency]
The clones! Look at all the clones! Crazy, right? They cloned Tyrone and now he’s all over the damn poster.
The Disappearance of Shere Hite (dir. Nicole Newnham)
Design by [Unknown]
An example of how a clever design concept makes a poster memorable by visualizing a film that is otherwise pretty hard to visualize as a poster. Not only an exceptional documentary, but an exceptional poster as well.
The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future (dir. Francisca Alegria)
Design by [Unknown]
The cow in the corner is what takes this from great to exceptional. Even if you’ve never heard of this Chilean film before (watch the trailer), it’s hard not to be enamored by how bonkers and unforgettable this poster is.
The Holdovers (dir. Alexander Payne)
Design by AV Print [Agency]
Not only one of my favorite films of 2023, one of my favorite posters as well. Minimal and eye-catching, the broken ornament is the perfect imagery to use for this holiday film. The sketched out style also works well.
Our Body (dir. Claire Simon)
Painting by Leah Reena Goren [Website] / Design by Brian Hung
Another unforgettably bold and beautiful design taking a painting and creating a poster that will certainly catch your eye, while also instantly telling you what the film is about (watch the trailer). A stunning poster.
So there you have it! Those are my top picks for 2023. I also need to give a special shout to the poster for the excellent TV series “Beef” on Netflix – this poster art is hilarious (created by Akiko Stehrenberger). I could always go on and on with posters – there’s plenty of others I could highlight. And I’d have any of these on my walls! Other best of the year poster lists we recommend: designer Daniel Benneworth-Gray’s 10 favorite posters, or Adrian Curry’s annual list of The Best Movie Posters of 2023, or Indiewire’s big list of The Best Movie & TV Posters of 2023. There are so many posters released every year, sometimes it’s hard to remember the best of the best. However, truly great artwork usually stands out so much that other design geeks remember them and mention them over and over. Let’s continue to celebrate the art of movie posters as much as we can. A special final shout out to the website IMPAwards, my favorite place for movie posters on the web. In these though times for websites, please keep visiting their website so they keep running. What are your favorites?
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