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We live in the age of replicas, look-alikes, and stolen ideas. It feels like everything good has been done already, whether it’s a song, a painting, or a clever TV commercial. The fear of being unoriginal is stronger than ever if you’re trying to produce something entirely new.

And while some try their best to come up with fresh ideas, others decide there’s no point in trying too hard. This time, we are looking at some examples of copycats in the film industry, where movie posters are everything but original.

From the suspiciously similar Babel (2006) and Savages (2012) poster designs, to the look-alike Inception (2010) vs. Geostorm (2017), these can’t be just mere coincidences... or can they? Whoever came up with these poster ideas surely has no problem with being unoriginal, and this may as well be somewhat of a liberating feeling.

(h/t: Letterboxd users Bri and Malaine)

#1

Shrooms (2007) vs. Singular Cay (2012)

Shrooms (2007) vs. Singular Cay (2012)

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#2

Unforgiven (1992) vs. Puss In Boots (2011)

Unforgiven (1992) vs. Puss In Boots (2011)

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blugeagua avatar
blugeagua
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is obviously a parody from Puss in Boots. So that was intentional.

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#3

Die Hard 2 (1990) vs. Speed (1994)

Die Hard 2 (1990) vs. Speed (1994)

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Bardhi's Dad
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have almost forgotten those two heroes were young once. But, must say they are still handsome - Bruce not as much as Keanu, but not bad at all

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Bored Panda reached out to filmmaker and entrepreneur Romina to find out if such look-alike movie posters are innocent coincidences or sinister copies. Romina explained that both things can be true in these cases: “Sometimes copies are coincidental and other times they're not. The use of similar design elements, though, is indeed deliberate.”

Romina also said that it’s quite possible that the same graphic designers were used to produce the film posters, and if that happens, “they end up with similar styles.” In that case, a look-alike poster is not a copy, but rather it reflects the style of a particular designer.

#4

Blue Ruin (2013) vs. Happy Hunting (2017)

Blue Ruin (2013) vs. Happy Hunting (2017)

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Vic
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Happy Hunting is like a couple of frames after Blue Ruin..

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#5

Gravity (2013) vs. Ad Astra (2019)

Gravity (2013) vs. Ad Astra (2019)

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Bardhi's Dad
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gravity is better movie and have better poster! In my opinion, of course

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#6

Cats & Dogs (2001) vs. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Cats & Dogs (2001) vs. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

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“It is common to copy or 'take inspiration' from other works. If it isn't broken, why fix it?” Romina said this is part of the storytelling process which is as old as time itself. For example, “Shakespeare's stories have been told over and over again.”

Having said that, Romina assured that people still genuinely care about original ideas. “The possibilities are endless as new ways of storytelling are developed, like VR, for example.” It’s really up to artists and designers to decide which direction they want to go.

#7

Ex Machina (2014) vs. A.i. Rising (2018)

Ex Machina (2014) vs. A.i. Rising (2018)

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David K
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yesterday I was listening to a podcast on AI and the presenter mentioned one interesting fact - for some reason, AI is always associated with blue color. Search whatever "AI" pic on Google and you will always find blue and its different shades to be the main color.

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#8

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) vs. Dark Phoenix (2019)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) vs. Dark Phoenix (2019)

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Troux
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is kind of a standard movie poster for big-budget, multi-protagonist movies.

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#9

Winter's Bone (2010) vs. A Dark Place (2018)

Winter's Bone (2010) vs. A Dark Place (2018)

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Bardhi's Dad
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like much more that one with Jennifer Lawrence, must say. And movie was great also

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Creating a captivating movie poster that will draw people to the cinema theaters is not as simple as you may think. The successful ones often follow a time-proven sales formula that can be traced in any movie poster you’d like to hang on your wall. It’s known as AIDA.

The first A in the AIDA formula stands for "attention." A good movie poster is one that grabs your attention on the street and steals it for some time. Whether it features the film’s main characters, establishes an intriguing level of plot, or presents a major plot point, it should be captivating.

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The second part of the formula stands for iconography, which is basically showing without telling. The use of strong imagery and visual cues is what makes the design effective. 

#10

Drive Angry (2011) vs. Breaking Loose (2014)

Drive Angry (2011) vs. Breaking Loose (2014)

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#11

Black Swan (2010) vs. Ghostland (2018)

Black Swan (2010) vs. Ghostland (2018)

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#12

Anatomy Of A Murder (1959) vs. Clockers (1995)

Anatomy Of A Murder (1959) vs. Clockers (1995)

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Goo Lagoon
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, it's clearly an homage to a very famous classic poster.

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Another important feature in a good film poster design is "interest." This means that your poster should offer a fresh perspective or an unusual point of view. Sometimes it puts the viewers into the middle of a scene from the film. Often, it sparks an inner curiosity as you wish to find out more.The last bit of the magic AIDA formula stands for appeal, which combines both creative and aesthetic efforts to produce a poster that will serve as a form of art on its own.

On the other hand, there’s always a danger of making your poster too artsy, as it should carry appeal for both die-hard fans and passersby on the streets alike. Long-lasting appeal in poster designs is usually found in classical movies and high-budget blockbusters.

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#13

Shrek (2001) vs. The Incredibles (2004)

Shrek (2001) vs. The Incredibles (2004)

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JessG
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, the Shrek one was intentional. They had more than one poster, all with different “genre feel” to them

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#14

The Ruins (2007) vs. Wake Wood (2008)

The Ruins (2007) vs. Wake Wood (2008)

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Amanda Flesher
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Originally the movie was called Morning Wood, but then they realized the error of their ways 😂

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#15

Hot Pursuit (1987) vs. Disturbia (2007)

Hot Pursuit (1987) vs. Disturbia (2007)

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#16

Babel (2006) vs. Savages (2012)

Babel (2006) vs. Savages (2012)

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#17

The Breakfast Club (1985) vs. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

The Breakfast Club (1985) vs. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

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#18

No Country For Old Men (2007) vs. Fright Night (2011)

No Country For Old Men (2007) vs. Fright Night (2011)

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JessG
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Was Fright Night re-made in 2011? I didn’t even realize. The original poster is much better

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#19

Shame (2011) vs. The Delinquent Season (2018)

Shame (2011) vs. The Delinquent Season (2018)

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#20

The Night Eats The World (La Nuit A Dévoré Le Monde) (2018) vs. The Rental (2020)

The Night Eats The World (La Nuit A Dévoré Le Monde) (2018) vs. The Rental (2020)

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JessG
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Both posters make me curious about the movies though. I haven’t seen either one, but I’d like to now, lol, it worked

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#21

Mystic River (2003) vs. Dusk (2010)

Mystic River (2003) vs. Dusk (2010)

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#22

Straw Dogs (1971) vs. Cold Fish (2010)

Straw Dogs (1971) vs. Cold Fish (2010)

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#23

Lolita (1962) vs. American Strays (1996)

Lolita (1962) vs. American Strays (1996)

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#24

Vampire (2011) vs. Forgotten (2017)

Vampire (2011) vs. Forgotten (2017)

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#25

The Ides Of March (2011) vs. Nancy (2018)

The Ides Of March (2011) vs. Nancy (2018)

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#26

The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) vs. The Kill Team (2013)

The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) vs. The Kill Team (2013)

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Robin DJW
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Silence of the Lambs poster is in this same family. They all say "We have secrets."

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#27

Death Ship (1980) vs. Ghost Ship (2002)

Death Ship (1980) vs. Ghost Ship (2002)

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#28

Body Snatchers (1993) vs. Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

Body Snatchers (1993) vs. Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

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#29

Inception (2010) vs. Geostorm (2017)

Inception (2010) vs. Geostorm (2017)

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#30

Deepwater Horizon (2016) vs. Murder On The Orient Express (2017)

Deepwater Horizon (2016) vs. Murder On The Orient Express (2017)

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Note: this post originally had 47 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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