How Much Does a Movie Poster Cost?

July 30, 2026Drix admin

There is no single price for a movie poster, because a poster is custom design work. The real cost depends on deliverables, concept complexity, timeline and revision rounds. Use the planning ranges below to budget, then request a project-specific quote — Drix Agency has no minimum budget to start the conversation.

How much does a movie poster cost?

A custom movie poster for an independent film commonly lands between $400 and $2,500 for a single theatrical one-sheet plus a digital master. A full key art campaign with streaming and social crops is often $1,500 to $6,000 or more. These are industry planning ranges, not a public rate card — Drix quotes each film on scope.

Studio theatrical campaigns with multiple photo shoots, union talent, and dozens of adaptations sit far above indie ranges. If you are comparing three quotes, match the deliverable list first. A cheap “poster” that is only a web JPG is not the same product as print-ready 27×40 inch artwork at 300 DPI with a layered master file.

The most reliable number is still a quote against your brief. Send logline, references, platform, deadline and the formats you must deliver. Independent productions can review the indie workflow before writing. There is no minimum budget required to start.

What do independent films typically budget?

Use this table to plan, not to lock a price. Low complexity means a strong type-and-portrait concept from existing stills. High complexity means multi-element composites, custom title treatments, and several campaign crops from one key art system.

Rush work — festival deadlines inside 48 hours, or a last-minute distributor request — is quoted on top of the base scope because it reorders the studio calendar. Unlimited revisions at Drix means you are not buying revision packs; you are buying approval, which keeps the quote honest about time rather than nickeling each note.

Typical independent-film planning ranges (USD). Drix Agency quotes per project.
Scope	Planning range	What you usually receive
Single theatrical poster	$400–$2,500	Print-ready one-sheet plus a high-resolution digital master
Festival-ready poster pack	$800–$3,500	Print file, digital versions, composition with space for laurels
Key art campaign	$1,500–$6,000+	Core key art plus theatrical, 16:9 streaming and social crops
Rush / priority	Quoted on top	Faster queue when a submission or release date cannot move

Is it just one poster, or a full campaign?

A single theatrical poster costs less than a key art system adapted across theatrical, streaming thumbnails, social assets and billboards. If you only need one deliverable, say so up front — it keeps the quote focused, the file list shorter, and the timeline honest.

Many indie teams start with one festival one-sheet, then come back for 16:9 and square crops after a sale. That two-step path can work, but it is usually cheaper and more consistent to lock the key art direction once and export every size from the same master. Changing the hero image later means re-grading, re-titling, and re-approving every crop.

If a sales agent or streamer will require a package, budget the campaign even if you only print one poster this month. Ask what they actually need: one-sheet, 1920×1080 title art, 1080×1080, 1080×1920, and sometimes a 1400×2100 portrait. That list is the quote.

Related: key art design system.

How complex is the concept?

A composited scene with multiple photo elements, custom typography and detailed color grading takes longer than a minimalist, type-driven design. Clear references and a tight brief reduce back-and-forth and keep the cost predictable because the first concepts land closer to yes.

Complexity is not the same as “more Photoshop layers.” A single striking portrait with the right crop, type, and grade can outperform a crowded montage — and cost less. Complexity jumps when you need original illustration, many licensed stills, matching a franchise look, or building a title treatment that must survive at 200 pixels wide on a streaming grid.

Genre also changes the work. Horror often lives in restraint and texture. Sci-fi may need world-building in one frame. Comedy has to read the joke at thumbnail size. Those are creative problems with different time costs, which is why a genre page and a mood board help more than a vague “make it cinematic.”

Related: sci-fi poster design and horror key art.

How many revisions do you expect to need?

Some studios buy a set number of revision rounds and stop. Drix Agency includes unlimited revisions until you approve the final artwork, so you are not penalized for wanting the design right rather than merely done. The quote still assumes a collaborative process, not an open-ended redesign of the film itself.

Revisions stay cheap when notes are specific: “darker sky, larger title, remove the extra figure.” They get expensive in hidden ways when the brief changes — new lead, new tone, new festival cut — because that is a new concept, not a polish. If your cut is still moving, say so. We can lock composition and leave room for a later still.

Unlimited revisions are not unlimited new films. If the story positioning changes (rom-com to thriller, for example), we re-scope. That honesty keeps planning ranges useful instead of bait.

How tight is your deadline?

Rush turnarounds for festival submissions or last-minute campaign changes can affect pricing because they require reprioritizing other work. First concepts at Drix are typically delivered within 24–48 hours; a locked print file still needs your feedback cycle on top of that.

Festival calendars do not slip. If you need a laurel-ready one-sheet, build in time to place laurels after acceptance rather than crowding the art on day one. A composition with clean negative space is cheaper than a last-minute rebuild the night before upload.

If the deadline is real, put it in the first email with the timezone and the file that must ship (print PDF vs platform JPG). “As soon as possible” is not a date. A date is a quote input.

Related: film festival poster design.

What should you send to get an accurate quote?

Send the logline, runtime, genre, target platform, deadline, and whether you need print, digital, or both. Attach stills or a trailer link and three reference posters you respect — even if they are not your genre. That package is enough for a focused quote without a long discovery call.

Also list rights reality: which frames you can legally use, whether talent stills are cleared, and whether a title lock exists. Uncleared photography is a production problem, not a design discount. If you only have a screenplay and no stills, say that; we will concept from type, illustration, or sourced imagery with a clear license path.

Independent producers who already know their festival list should include it. Submission portals have file-size and dimension quirks. Designing to those specs once is cheaper than exporting five wrong sizes.

Getting an accurate number

Tell us about your film, deliverables and timeline. Compare quotes on the same list: layered master, print PDF at 300 DPI, web exports, and campaign crops. If a number looks too low, it is usually missing print specs or treating key art as a single JPG.

Drix Agency prices the work, not a famous credit. There is no minimum budget to start the conversation. If you only need one festival poster this week, that is a valid brief. If you need a campaign that will still look like one film on Netflix, theatrical, and Instagram, say that in the same sentence.

A useful way to sanity-check any quote is to divide it by the number of surfaces you will actually publish. One poster used once is a different buy from one key art master reused on a one-sheet, a 16:9 tile, a square ad, and a story crop. If two bids look far apart, list those surfaces side by side before you assume someone is overcharging.

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