The very first commercial film screening took place on December 28, 1895, at the Grand Café in Paris. There, the Lumière brothers held a screening of ten of their short films. Although the room was designed to hold 100 people, fewer than 30 moviegoers – the first 30 moviegoers ever! – came to see the screening of the Lumière brothers’ cinematograph.

The event was promoted with a beautiful poster by French artist Henri Brispot – meaning that at the exact moment that movies were invented, movie posters were also invented. One of Brispot’s posters for the Lumières’ debut was auctioned at Sotheby’s in London in 2018. And while it sold for quite a bit of money, this poster is not one of the most valuable in history – or at least there are some that have sold at auction for much more money. more money than that.

The list of 20 posters below have all sold at auction for exorbitant six-figure prices in recent years. There are definitely some similarities between the films on the list: Most are around 100 years old, most are classics from Hollywood’s Golden Age, they are generally among the most famous American films of all time – although one is relatively unknown to the general public. (It is known among film fans as the very first pairing of one of the most iconic film duos in history.) In all but one or two cases, the prices listed come from Heritage Auctions, a dealer in all kinds of collectibles – including high-quality movie posters.

The most valuable film posters

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