Over the past few months we were consigned a number of "English
international one-sheets" (mostly from current superhero movies), all of
which have images NOT seen on domestic one-sheets. When we were first
consigned them, we were naturally concerned that they could be some kind of
"bootleg" posters (because of the different images, and mostly all great
ones).
But we carefully examined them, and because they seemed to be printed on
exactly the same paper as domestic one-sheets, and because they were
double-sided and have sharp print quality and resolution, we felt they were
authentic. We asked the consignors where they came from, and they said they
were U.S. posters sent to Thailand for use in the Far East, and that
sounded reasonable, so we began auctioning them.
But then we noticed that some posters measured slightly differently, and
then someone pointed out there was a spelling error on a Joker poster. We
contacted the consignor of that poster, who told us Warner Bros had noticed
the typo and had reprinted the poster with a corrected spelling, so we
auctioned the one with the spelling error as a "recalled one-sheet".
But then we were consigned yet more different styles of Joker teasers, and
also more Avengers one-sheets, and someone with much time found spelling
errors on several of them, one with FOUR different spelling errors. That,
combined with the fact that ALL the posters seem to originate from
Thailand, and that only two Thai sellers have them make us think it is much
more likely that these are "Thai one-sheets", created in Thailand for use
in Thailand.
We DON'T think they are "bootlegs", because of the very high printing
quality, and they are double-sided. It seems extremely likely that whoever
printed them had access to the studio art (not copied) and also had access
to the same printing presses the studio uses. But if they were printed in
the U.S., we don't think there would be any spelling errors or size
variations, and we would think that, if they had been printed in the U.S.,
more than two sellers would be offering them, and that they would not only
be from Thailand.
So our current best guess is that they were printed in Thailand, by the
studio. Why are printed entirely in English? We don't know for sure, but we
do know that a lot of posters used in Thailand are in English, so that is
not surprising. The same situation existed in Lebanon and Switzerland in
the 1970s to 1990s. Some of those countries posters from that time are
printed entirely in English and can only be distinguished from U.S. posters
by different paper used, and this may well be a similar situation, except
now the Thai printers have access to the same paper.
Note that I am NOT saying that I am 100% certain that these posters were
printed in Thailand and that they were NOT printed in the U.S. However, I
have enough doubt, and enough evidence to think it is much more likely they
were printed in Thailand (but they were printed very high quality, equal to
that of U.S. one-sheets). But we do not have absolute proof either way, and
everyone can make their own decision on these posters as to where they
think they were printed.
One of the Thai sellers of these posters (who sells them on eBay) insists
they were printed in the U.S., and he sent an image of a printed mailing
label that backs this up, but I know that anyone could PhotoShop this. It
is up to each buyer to decide what they believe. I have told you everything
I know about these posters above. If I learn any further information, I
will let you know that.
Now what we will do about these posters that we already auctioned? We have
contacted most of the buyers of them (and will contact the last ones on
Monday) and told them that since they were sold this poster as a U.S.
one-sheet, and since we are now identifying it as a Thai one-sheet, they
can each have a full refund, if they want to return it.
And we have been contacting the people who consigned these posters to us,
and have told them what we feel, and what we are doing. And in the future,
we will continue to auction these posters, but ONLY as "Thai one-sheets",
with the explanation written about what we know about them above.
So anyone who bought any of these from eMoviePoster.com will have the
option of a full refund. Anyone who bought any from any other sellers will
have to contact them to see what their policies are. As far as we know,
eMoviePoster.com is the only auction that offers a lifetime guarantee on
all the posters it auctions, and we track down the people who bought any
poster that we learn additional information about, and offer them a refund,
as we are doing here.
Here is a list of the posters we have identified thus far as being likely
"Thai one-sheets":
Avengers Infinity War International Imax Advance "Coming Soon" version
Avengers Infinity War International Advance, Style B (AKA explosion style)
Avengers Endgame International Advance, Light Style
Captain America: Civil War Imax (Advance)
Rise of Skywalker advance (English language version)
and at least three styles of Joker posters (plus the recalled versions of
one of them).
Of course we will report any new information about these over the coming
weeks, And if anyone out there has any additional information, please
contact us. Thanks.
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