Reaching an audience in the home video market is much different than reaching the theatrical audience. That often means the key art that’s used for home video releases is changed significantly from the one-sheets that were available during the theatrical marketing cycle. What I’m going to try and do is see what those changes are and what they mean for the appeal being made.

Arrival

No big change here, just the same key art that was used theatrically. I always thought that poster, with the big floating heads, looked like a DVD cover anyway so this just makes sense. The only addition is the positive blurb at the bottom of the design.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

Actually quite different from the theatrical campaign. Where that focused on the spectacle and the big event Lynn was facing – literally putting us behind him to view the dancers and fireworks from his perspective – this is much more straightforward. The four-stripe design shows Lynn amidst all the fireworks and fanfare at the top and in the midst of battle just below the title. Kristen Stewart, who wasn’t on the first poster at all and barely popped up in the trailer, now gets real estate all to herself.

The Edge of Seventeen

Woody Harrelson’s performance as a put-upon teacher two whom Hailee Steinfeld’s character confides received a good amount of praise when the movie was released. And while he was a big part of the trailers he wasn’t on the poster. That’s corrected here, as the home video release uses an image of the two talking to each other across his desk. It also touts the movie as being “One of the best reviewed comedies of all time,” which is quite the claim.

Bleed For This

It’s not a huge change from the theatrical poster. That same key art showing Teller and his costars walking toward the camera is used at the top of the DVD box while the bottom half is a shot from the conclusion of one of the fights from the movie. That seems to be designed to make sure the audience not only knows that it’s a movie about boxing but also that it has an inspirational and happy ending.