1. Floating Heads
Used For: Sappy dramas, Oscar bait, inspirational films, and every Nicolas Cage film ever. This is, by far, one of the most overused (and mocked), designs for a movie poster. Each year countless posters contain floating heads above a scene or image from the film (which is often someone standing on a beach). This promises a deeper, personal feel while also showing that, at the center of the events, is a human story. It is also a way of advertising who your big star is, while still being able to show a glimpse of the film itself. Though this poster is used mainly for films vying for Academy Awards and for overly sappy dramas, the technique is used for just about every film released nowadays. Even superhero movies apply this method, featuring the star studded cast surrounding the lesser-known lead. As stereotypical as floating heads are, it must work from a business standpoint, because the sheer amount of films that utilize them is staggering. And that completes our list! There are a few more that didn't quite make the cut (people sitting on benches, people laying in bed, a close-up of an eye...) but these are 10 cliché movie posters that just won't go away. Is there a design in particular that you've noticed that
didn't make it onto this list? Let us know in the comments!