The 20 Best Film Posters Of 2023

15. “Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny”
Designed by the great Tony Stella, a modern-day artist who basically broke through into the poster-designing industry by sharing incredible fan-made art on social media that became so popular he got hired to do it for real, this retro poster for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is a classic throwback to the classic “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and the ‘Temple of Doom,’ poster illustrated by Richard Amsel and the great Drew Struzan. Struzan retired in 2008, his posters for blockbusters of this ilk so iconic a documentary about him and his work was made. And while Stella certainly tips his cap to that era, floating heads of the cast of characters, the star at the center, and tons of mystery and intrigue suggested, it feels like a homage that he puts his own creative stamp on rather than some of the tribute versions that are so worshipful, they feel like a lifeless copy. 

14. “Beef”
There are often not a lot of TV posters on these lists; television networks and streamers haven’t traditionally made very inventive posters for small-screen efforts (generally, anyhow, there are exceptions). But this poster for Netflix’s “Beef,” created by Lee Sung Jin and starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, perfectly encapsulates what the show is all about. At the risk of stating the obvious, the show is about two strangers whose involvement in a road rage incident escalates into a prolonged feud. And the two main characters staring at each other with sullen looks at each other while they act as hand puppets sitting on the middle finger to give each other the bird is pretty straightforward, but brilliant.

13. “Killers Of The Flower Moon”
There are a lot of mediocre posters for Martin Scorsese’s epic “Killers Of The Flower Moon,” the ones that try and sell it as a blockbuster with Leonardo DiCapario’s face as the main draw, but there are a lot of terrific alts too. The IMAX poster with the Osage tribe dancing and celebrating the discovery of oil from the beginning of the film is certainly a dramatic image, the Dolby image of a man running in fear is also unnerving, and the 3DX version with a starry night image made in bones is chilling too. But it’s the minimalist version, designed by LA, and illustrated by Addie Roanhorse, that is the most powerful. Just a simple painted version of Lily Gladstone’s character from behind, wearing one of the colorful tribal shawls she wears throughout the movie that she suggests, eventually puts a bright colored target on the backs of all the Indigenous people for these white interlopers to see and exploit for all they are worth. 

12. “Beau is Afraid”
While a striking image on its own, four different versions of Joaquin Phoenix from the movie, illustrations taken from photos that are hyper-realistic but just off enough to seem weird and fantastical, one could argue these strange posters might have been off-putting to the average viewer (Ari Aster’s expensive, ambitious A24 movie didn’t really make its money back at the box office). And we’re not sure if it’s cheating or what, but this surreal South Korean version of “Beau Is Afraid,” with a cornucopia of anxieties bursting out of the character’s head, an angel above his head, and hands of god reaching from above suggesting all the ways he’s been controlled and manipulated is excellent. 

11. “Asteroid City”
The posters for Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” veered into minimalism; the first teaser poster just featured a city-limit-style population sign on the road as one would approach the town. And given all the stars in the movie, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, etc. Focus Features certainly could have gone that route. Instead, the main poster is a bold choice. Yes, it does feature the entire cast sitting with the asteroid crater of the movie on chairs, but it’s hard to pick them all out without a deep-dive close-up. Instead, what’s captured is the whimsy and playfulness of the picture, a boy in a jetpack flying over a bright blue, almost magenta-green sky, with a cast of characters looking straight ahead with deadpan faces, implying the vast cast of characters working their way through Anderson’s world. Plus, that throwback vintage font is so choice. Extra bonus for the radically different-in-design-approach vintage throwback character posters, which are pretty awesome and arguably the best character posters of 2023 for any movie.