It is a specific image that basically everyone remembers. You know the one. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are standing back-to-back, draped in sleek black formal wear, looking like they just stepped out of a high-end gala or maybe a very expensive funeral for someone they just killed. The Mr & Mrs Smith poster isn’t just a piece of promotional paper. It’s a cultural artifact. It captures a moment in 2005 when the line between a movie's plot and the real-life gossip of its stars became so thin it basically vanished.
People forget how much that single image did for the film's box office.
At the time, the air was thick with rumors. Were they? Weren't they? The "Brangelina" era was being born in real-time, and 20th Century Fox knew exactly what they were doing with that visual layout. By placing them back-to-back—close enough to touch but looking in opposite directions—the studio played into the "secret lives" theme of the movie while simultaneously feeding the tabloid frenzy. It’s genius, honestly. Even now, if you go to a poster shop or scroll through eBay, that specific design is the one that people want. It’s iconic. It’s simple. It works.
The Design Secret Behind the Mr & Mrs Smith Poster
There is a weirdly specific psychology to why this poster works better than the ones for the 2024 TV reboot. Don't get me wrong, Donald Glover and Maya Erskine are incredible, and their marketing had its own "cool" vibe, but it lacked the sheer, aggressive glamour of the 2005 original.
The 2005 Mr & Mrs Smith poster relies on a high-contrast color palette. It’s almost entirely black, white, and skin tones. This creates a "premium" feel. You see it and you think: "This is a big-budget, glossy Hollywood spectacle." There's no clutter. No floating heads of side characters. No explosions in the background to distract you from the main event. It’s just two of the biggest stars on the planet looking dangerous.
The Weaponry and the Wardrobe
Look closer at the details. Angelina Jolie is wearing a thigh-high slit dress that reveals a garter holster. That’s not just a fashion choice; it’s a narrative promise. It tells the audience that this isn't a standard romantic comedy. It’s "War of the Roses" with high-caliber ammunition. Brad Pitt is in a classic tuxedo, but his posture is rigid, ready.
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Many people don't realize there were actually several variations of this poster. One features them sitting on a sofa, looking bored but surrounded by weaponry. Another has them literally pointing guns at each other's heads. But the "back-to-back" version is the one that stuck. It represents the "us against the world" mentality that ironically mirrored their real-life situation at the time. It’s one of the few instances where the marketing for a movie felt like a documentary of a tabloid scandal.
Why Collectors Still Hunt for Original 2005 Prints
If you're looking to buy a Mr & Mrs Smith poster today, you’ve gotta be careful. There’s a massive difference between a $15 reprint from a big-box store and an original 27x40 "Double Sided" theatrical one-sheet.
Serious collectors want the double-sided versions. Why? Because those are the ones meant for the lightboxes in cinema lobbies. They have a mirrored image printed on the back so that when a light shines through them, the colors look deeper and more vibrant. If you find one of these, you’re looking at a piece of cinema history.
- Condition Matters: Look for "rolled" vs. "folded." Most modern posters are rolled, but some international versions might still have fold lines.
- The "Teaser" vs. The "Final": The teaser poster often just had the "S" logo or a very minimalist shot. The final one-sheet is the iconic back-to-back pose.
- Authenticity Marks: Check the bottom border for the studio credits and the "NSS" (National Screen Service) number, though by 2005, NSS numbers were becoming less common.
The market for these is surprisingly steady. It’s one of those rare movies where the poster is actually more famous than several scenes in the film. It represents the peak of the "Movie Star" era—before franchises and superheroes took over everything.
The 2024 Evolution: A Different Kind of Smith
When Amazon Prime Video announced the Mr. & Mrs. Smith series, the marketing team faced a hurdle. How do you compete with the most famous poster of the 2000s? They didn't even try to copy it, which was a smart move.
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The new Mr & Mrs Smith poster variants for the TV show are much more grounded. They focus on the "ordinary" nature of the characters. You see them in kitchen settings or looking slightly disheveled. It’s a complete 180 from the 2005 version. While the 2005 poster promised untouchable gods playing with guns, the 2024 posters promise a relatable, slightly awkward exploration of a relationship that just happens to involve international espionage.
It’s a fascinating study in how tastes have shifted. We went from wanting our stars to look like statues to wanting them to look like people we might actually know. But even with that shift, the original image of Pitt and Jolie remains the "gold standard" for a spy-thriller visual.
The Controversy You Probably Forgot
Here is a bit of trivia that most people get wrong. There was actually a minor controversy regarding the 2005 poster's "inspiration."
Some eagle-eyed fans and design critics pointed out that the composition—the back-to-back pose, the black-and-white formal wear—bore a striking resemblance to the poster for the 1985 film Prizzi's Honor, starring Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner. In that movie, they also play assassins who fall in love. While it’s not a direct "copy," the visual language is undeniably similar.
Hollywood loves a trope. The "deadly couple" aesthetic wasn't invented in 2005, but it was certainly perfected then. The Mr & Mrs Smith poster took a known visual shorthand and polished it to a mirror finish.
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How to Spot a Fake if You're Buying
If you're scouring the internet for an original, keep your eyes peeled. Reprints are everywhere.
One dead giveaway of a fake is the size. Original US one-sheets are almost always 27x40 inches. If you see something listed as 24x36, it’s a commercial reprint sold in mall stores. Also, check the text at the bottom. On a real theatrical poster, the tiny "billing block" (the names of the producers, grips, etc.) should be crisp and legible. Fakes often have slightly blurry text because they are scans of an original.
Also, feel the paper. Original posters are printed on a heavier, slightly glossier stock than the thin, papery stuff used for cheap reprints. If it feels like a page from a magazine, walk away.
Actionable Steps for Enthusiasts and Decorators
If you want to own or display a piece of this history, don't just slap it on the wall with some tape. Treat it like the design icon it is.
- Go Double-Sided: If you can find a double-sided original 2005 theatrical poster, buy it. It's the only way to get the true color depth.
- UV Protection is Non-Negotiable: If you’re framing a Mr & Mrs Smith poster, use UV-filter glass or acrylic. The black ink used in these posters is notorious for fading into a dull charcoal or even a weird brownish tint if left in direct sunlight for a couple of years.
- The "Linen Backing" Option: If you find an original that has some tears or folds, look into professional linen backing. It’s a process where the poster is mounted onto thin canvas, which flattens out creases and preserves the paper. It can be pricey, but for a 2005 original, it might be worth the investment.
- Look for International Variants: Sometimes the Japanese or French posters for the movie have even better artwork than the US versions. The Japanese "B2" size posters are especially cool for small apartments because they are about half the size but usually feature much more vivid printing.
Whether you love the movie for the action, the chemistry, or just the sheer 2000s nostalgia, that poster is the ultimate centerpiece for a media room. It’s a reminder of a time when movie stars were the biggest things on the planet, and a single photo could sell a hundred million tickets. Honestly, we might never see a poster that captures the zeitgeist quite like that again.