# What happens to those large theatre promo ad/posters?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-those-large-theatre-promo-ad-posters/756685>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 6, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-those-large-theatre-promo-ad-posters/756685 "2016-06-06T23:13:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![smokey78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@smokey78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smokey78)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-those-large-theatre-promo-ad-posters/756685/1 "2016-06-06T23:13:40Z")

</div>

so I saw that large Captain America Civil War promo advertisement stand, the huge one they set up in the lobby of theatre. Has anyone ever worked in a theatre, what happens to those ads? Trashed? I suppose they could be sold to those interested whoever has a big mancave to keep them.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-those-large-theatre-promo-ad-posters/756685/2 "2016-06-07T00:03:01Z")

</div>

People in the industry collect them if they’re in a position to be allowed to. I have a pretty extensive one-sheet collection from the 80s and 90s. Lost interest after that. I had a full standee from one of the _Gone in 60 Seconds_ films. It was pretty cool. Deteriorated and trashed. Movie studios are remarkably non-sentimental. And storage space is expensive. What doesn’t get given away or pilfered goes in the trash.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-those-large-theatre-promo-ad-posters/756685/3 "2016-06-07T00:11:26Z")

</div>

If you see one you want, ask to speak to the manager; most of the time, unless they or someone they give a shit about has dibs on it, they’ll just give it to you (because I’m pretty sure none of them are authorized to run a side business selling off memorabilia).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-those-large-theatre-promo-ad-posters/756685/4 "2016-06-07T00:16:53Z")

</div>

Yeah, they sell them or give them away. Especially the smaller theaters, where I’ve actually seen boxes of rolled up posters free for the taking, as well as folders describing others that are for sale for (IIRC) something like $5-10. I imagine employees get dibs on the really neat stuff.