“CONVOY” (1978) – ORIGINAL JAPANESE B0 BILLBOARD POSTER – A FILM OF SAM PECKINPAH, Rare | Massive Format | First Release | c. 99 × 157 cm
This is an original Japanese billboard poster printed for the original Japanese theatrical release of Convoy (コンボイ), Sam Peckinpah’s 1978 action road movie starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine and Burt Young—an emblematic slice of late‑’70s Americana built around CB‑radio bravado, highway rebellion, and the mythic image of the long‑haul trucker.
About the Japanese B0 billboard (rarity & use)
The B0 is Japan’s largest standard theatrical poster, produced for exterior displays and lobby billboards—items of pure advertising utility, printed in small numbers and typically discarded after the run. Sizes vary by printer and venue; B0s are commonly c. 103 × 145 cm and were designed to dominate a wall. Survival rates are extremely low compared with the ubiquitous B2 size. This example is the scarcer tall variant measuring 99 × 157 cm.
Printed with the Eirin (映倫) censorship seal at lower right—standard on Japanese theatrical posters after 1964—this piece carries the hallmarks of an authentic, period‑issued billboard. Distributor marks for Herald and EMI are also present at the foot.
Why this example is extraordinary (rarity & market)
Large‑format B0 billboards are rarely encountered in any title, and even more so in this condition. Convoy is a cult favourite with strong crossover appeal (Pekinpah collectors, trucking / Americana enthusiasts, and design‑driven poster collectors), and this massive Japanese billboard format is a dramatic, wall‑filling display piece that was never meant to survive. Finding one clean, complete, and presentable is the exception—not the rule.
Poster design
This is a superb piece of late‑’70s graphic advertising: a huge red katakana title 「コンボイ」 slams across a black header, with a punchy yellow tagline above reading 「動き出した――もう誰にも俺たちを止める力はない！」(roughly, “It’s begun—no one can stop us now!”). Beneath, a row of cast headshots leads into the main image: an endless line of trucks rolling down a sun‑bleached highway, the lead rig looming large in the foreground while the convoy snakes back into heat haze and distance.
At upper right, the English title CONVOY sits beside “A FILM OF SAM PECKINPAH,” with a neat Japanese note explaining the word’s meaning: 「コンボイとは“船団”のことである」 (“Convoy” means a fleet/convoy). The overall effect is bold, minimal, and instantly readable from across a street—exactly what a billboard poster was designed to do.
Cultural impact
Convoy landed at the peak of the 1970s trucking / CB‑radio craze and has endured as a nostalgic time capsule of highway culture—slang, swagger, and anti‑authority spirit—filtered through Peckinpah’s hard‑edged, dust‑and‑diesel sensibility. It remains a cult staple of road‑movie cinema and an essential late‑career title for collectors of Peckinpah ephemera.
Condition
Very Good / Excellent. This billboard presents extremely well: no tears, no pinholes, no writing, and no tape. This poster was stored rolled, therefore, There are the expected "waves" from long term storage (particularly evident on the blank reverse). These can easily be flattened out. The image remains very strong and displayable, with clean overall presentation for a scarce, utilitarian B0 format. It is our understanding that this billboard was never used - something that in the industry is known as "dead stock". Please review the detailed photos provided, as they show the exact poster for sale.
It is over 45 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
A rare opportunity to secure a true Japanese B0 billboard for Peckinpah’s Convoy—a massive, high‑impact piece of original theatrical advertising that looks sensational on the wall and is seldom seen in this format.
