Why is the original Matrix poster so scarce and expensive?

[Harry Caul]

Well the DS advance for the Matrix just went for $501 on Emovie.

WTF?

I understand demand and I understand very cool looking poster but my understanding only goes so far.

That makes me think that a Matrix Lightning poster would definitely go for well in excess of the regular DS one sheet.  I guess it only takes two to tango... or to bid posters into the stratosphere!

[Harry Caul]

Im not saying that I wouldnt ever drop $500 on the right poster but it would be Grant, Bogart, Hitchcock, Leone, Bond(Connery ONLY) etc type stuff.

Wholeheartedly agree!

[ddilts399]

If you look at the bid history from the 1 last night, it was 2 people who had to have the poster, so if you drop back to where there was other bids the 150.00 range is where you would be, which is reasonable.

[Bruce]

I would say it was a classic bidding war, as Dale says. Remember when eBay used to have lots of those every day, instead of once in a blue moon?  There still are some at eMoviePoster almost every set of auctions (of course it is far harder for us to have a bidding war, because we need two real bidders!).

Bruce

[kovacs01]

I think one thing that has driven up the price of this poster along with a few others is the rampant bootlegs of it that are floating around.  The high ratio of fakes to authentics has caused people to pay a premium for ones that leave little doubt about their authenticity.

[Harry Caul]

So you are saying we need to bootleg more posters so our originals will be worth more money?  Sounds like a great plan... who is with me? 

 

[guest8]

LOL .. Ive honestly thought about printing some of my own posters .. Just to hang some that I may never own then trash em .. and print out some new ones ! But the fact that a printer large enough to do the job is a few thousand dollars (minimum) I opted to keep buying the real deal

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

I think one thing that has driven up the price of this poster along with a few others is the rampant bootlegs of it that are floating around.  The high ratio of fakes to authentics has caused people to pay a premium for ones that leave little doubt about their authenticity.

We are fortunate that the primary reproducer of reprints (MovieGoods) does an incompetent job.  They just blow up images, don't clean them up, and they are obvious reproductions.  Anybody with medium Photoshop skills and access to a large source image and some other tools (which I won't detail) can do a much better job and re-create a near-perfect master image. 

[Chop-Top]

So which date is the fake one, the March or April poster? I just picked up an April for $175 off Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170526165285&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

[Freefall]

So which date is the fake one, the March or April poster? I just picked up an April for $175 off Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170526165285&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

This is a fake one. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

See where the bottom end of the posters cuts his boots? That shouldn't be the case at all. AND there should be bullets scattered about his feet both on his left and right side and where the poster cut his feet off.

[Freefall]

Chop!

I just looked at the bigger poster on that auction. The BIGGER one seems to be authentic. I don't understand why this auctioneer used a "stock fake" photo as his main picture and the have the "actual" item buried underneath the auction description.

[Chop-Top]

So, let me get this straight. The movie was released on March 31st according to imdb, but the real advance poster has a date of April 2nd?

[Harry Caul]

Yeah, two pairs of stacked bullets at the bottom is how I have read to authenticate the DS advance.  However, as Mel has pointed out in the past, it is still unclear as to whether DS fakes were ever produced for this title or not...

It says April 2nd on both of my DS advances that I believe to original.  Not sure where the May 31st tagline comes from...

[Harry Caul]

So, let me get this straight. The movie was released on March 31st according to imdb, but the real advance poster has a date of April 2nd?

Well, April 2nd 1999 was a Friday, which seems correct... maybe there was an advanced Wednesday night release (31st)?

[archie leach]

So, let me get this straight. The movie was released on March 31st according to imdb, but the real advance poster has a date of April 2nd?

Release dates change all the time.   A release moving from a Friday opening to a Wed opening is not unheard of and can happen right up to the opening week (well after the posters have been printed posters).

[Harry Caul]

Release dates change all the time.   A release moving from a Friday opening to a Wed opening is not unheard of and can happen right up to the opening week (well after the posters have been printed posters).

Agreed, but that still doesn't clear up the mystery of the two dates for this poster.  The only May 31st versions I've seen have been undersized and single-sided implying they are reprints.  However, they must be reprints of something... right?  I can't imagine a commercial reprint changing the date?  Unless maybe it was licensed from the studio and they gave them a different image...

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

The bus shelter has the March 31 date - pic from Heritage:

[Neo]

The original one sheet Matrix poster is very scarce and expensive, and the French one panel may be scarce, but it is currently not as expensive.  I think it is pretty awesome in the French format.  The type of paper it is on is sweet, and the patterns on it (I'm not sure what they're called, but Wonka posted some pics of the Totoro B1 that are similar) are nice, as they add to the authenticity of it.  Now I just need to find enough wall space for a French one panel frame.    

[kovacs01]

The whole release date issue was discussed thoroughly on another forum (not sure which one or when).  I honestly do not remember the final result, but I believe it was inconclusive as to the significance of the dates and which one was first, authentic, etc.  I am sure some enterprising member can go out there and find what I am talking about.

[agentprovocateur]

...The type of paper it is on is sweet, and the patterns on it (I'm not sure what they're called, but Wonka posted some pics of the Totoro B1 that are similar)...

Neo, I think it's called the halftone pattern, the layering of the separate cmyk colours with different angles to avoid any moiré! The dot patterns used for this printing is usually only used in large format printing as the resolution to print that large is smaller, and because people will be viewing the poster from a distance it doesn't need the fineness (is that a word!?) of normal litho printing.

The French one panel is great but I've always held off on getting one as I don't like how they used a different typeface for the strapline 'Believe in the Unbelievable'. Rather than the more refined edgy font they went for Helvetica with a huge drop shadow!

Does anyone know about Australian one sheet Lightning posters for the original Matrix film? Do they exist? Does someone have one? I've just heard they may have come rolled and folded, the latter in a rare press pack.

Any info. would be appreciated.

[erik1925]

What's so special about the L.A. Confidential poster? Rarity? Otherwise, the poster looks kinda "meh"...

I agree. It must be the same "supply and demand" idea for this film's posters, too, as they are all rather MOR, in appearance and layout.

[Neo]

Neo, I think it's called the halftone pattern, the layering of the separate cmyk colours with different angles to avoid any moiré! The dot patterns used for this printing is usually only used in large format printing as the resolution to print that large is smaller, and because people will be viewing the poster from a distance it doesn't need the fineness (is that a word!?) of normal litho printing.

The French one panel is great but I've always held off on getting one as I don't like how they used a different typeface for the strapline 'Believe in the Unbelievable'. Rather than the more refined edgy font they went for Helvetica with a huge drop shadow!

That's interesting.  I just mentioned the patterns because it seems like they would be difficult to replicate on a bootleg/reproduction or whatever.  But it's good to know why they are actually there. 

The tag line appears a little "off" to me as well.  Main reason for purchasing it is I like to have some of my favorite movie posters in a few different sizes, that way I can have several different size frames on the walls and I can cover as many square inches as possible with my favorite paper.    The only problem now is to stop buying so many posters so I can get more frames.   

[Zorba]

The only problem now is to stop buying so many posters so I can get more frames.   

I keep saying this is the week I lay off posters so I can get those two three frames I want but that week never comes....

[Neo]

I keep saying this is the week I lay off posters so I can get those two three frames I want but that week never comes....

On the bright side when the frames get bought there won't be a shortage of posters for them.