15 Movie Poster Trends That Really Need To Die
3. Parodying Something Already Made
Oscar Wilde famously said that "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness" and he wasn't wrong when you look at promotional material for something you'd find under your shoe is parodying something truly original.
Low hanging fruit aside, the context for the films Good Luck Chuck, Minions 2 and even Gone Girl felt the need to borrow from famous photographs or just straight-up imitate film promotions. Whether or not the first two examples were self aware enough (with Good Luck Chuck I very much doubt it), it really chills the back of one's neck knowing that a movie intended to sell itself by copying something better.
What's worse is that in the context of Minions 2; a film (admittedly) meant for children, it was dressing the irredeemably irritating characters up up in costumes relation to Deadpool, Men In Black, Terminator and The Hangover; films that have NOTHING to do with the movies.
The gesture might seem cute for a T-shirt, but it's also a blatant example of un-originality and corporate oversight that is attempting to piggyback of a greater work.
There's no alternative to this trend. If you're making a movie poster, don't steal from other greater movies.