“2001: A Space Odyssey” (2001年宇宙の旅), Original Japanese Re-Release Movie Poster 1978, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) O56A
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1978 for the Japanese re-release of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick’s monumental science-fiction masterpiece. Directed by Stanley Kubrick and written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, the film stars Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, and Daniel Richter, with the unforgettable voice of Douglas Rain as HAL 9000.
This 1978 Japanese reissue is especially appealing because it belongs to the post-Star Wars moment, when Kubrick’s film was reintroduced to audiences as the supreme benchmark of serious science-fiction cinema. The poster itself makes that point explicitly: the lower text block quotes George Lucas praising 2001, giving the sheet a fascinating extra historical layer and tying it directly to the changing science-fiction landscape of the late 1970s.
Film background
Originally released in 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey remains one of the most important films ever made. Kubrick’s visionary adaptation of Clarke’s ideas transformed science fiction on screen, combining vast cosmic imagery, radical visual effects, and an austere, philosophical approach unlike anything audiences had seen before. Its influence on later directors, designers, and the visual language of science fiction has been immense.
By the time of this 1978 Japanese re-release, the film had already become an established classic. This poster therefore represents not the moment of first discovery, but the moment when 2001 was being presented to a new generation as an enduring work of cinematic art.
Poster design
This is a superb and highly iconic Japanese re-release design. The composition is dominated by the great rotating space station above Earth, with the elegant shuttle descending toward its illuminated docking bay. The imagery is pure Kubrick: clean, monumental, and technically precise, yet strangely poetic. The large vertical red Japanese copy at left and the huge red title across the lower section give the poster tremendous visual force, while the yellow English “2001: a space odyssey” title adds a sharp modernist accent.
A particularly striking feature is the large white panel in the lower middle, which carries the Japanese text quoting George Lucas on the importance of 2001. That makes this poster more than a simple reissue advertisement: it is a document of how Kubrick’s film was being framed in Japan after the arrival of modern blockbuster science fiction. For collectors, that is a major point of interest.
Condition
Very Good. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
Please note the condition. We have taken this into account when pricing. Once framed, the poster will display very well.
It is over 48 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
