Skip to content

The Thing (1982) daybills - both first release?

Hi guys,

Two different styles, two different printers, what are your thoughts on whether they're both first release?

  

The 'white title' version is printed by W & B Litho and the 'red title' style is M.A.P.S.

The 'red title' is far harder to come across but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.


Comments

  • Thanks for posting this topic.  I have wondered this as well...
  • Identifying first release apposed to re-release pre 1970 is something I have had a great deal of success with but when you enter into the 1970s and 1980s it is very difficult to determine why there are different style daybills for the same film from two printers or even the same style printed by two or even three printers. The vast majority in my opinion would be from the same release as very few films during this period were re-released as films went to television relatively soon after their theatrical release. Apart from W. & B. Litho who seemed to operate for only a short time the market was dominated by either Robert Burton or M.A.P.S. There were also a number of films printed during this period also without any printers credits and this is before the late eighties when this became the norm. My opinion is that the two The Thing daybills were printed for the first release whether at the same time or a little apart one will probably never know.
  • Is it possibly a 'state by state' scenario? Would W & B perhaps not provided daybills to the whole country? The film appears to have only been passed once for 35mm release (in July 1982), so I agree that a re-release seems unlikely. Perhaps the M.A.P.S posters were printed as a second run? My understanding is that the film was a bit of theatrical flop and only really gained popularity on the home video market, so maybe there wasn't much need for the M.A.P.S ones? Generally the M.A.P.S version is found in really nice condition, suggesting that most were never displayed. This somewhat supports the idea that they were a later run that wasn't really needed.
  • W. & B. Litho & M.A.P.S.'s printed Australian one sheets also. 
  • Just thought I would throw this in. In the year befor 1981 two completely different style daybills were printed by M.A.P.S. and W. & B. Litho of Eye Of The Needle. Again it would be interesting to know why this happened as this film was never destined to be a big box office success.
Sign In or Register to comment.






Logo

For movie poster collectors who know...

@ 2021 Vintage Movie Posters Forum, All rights reserved.

Contact us

info@vintagemoviepostersforum.com

Get In Touch