Lobby cards 大堂剧照

As the English name suggests, lobby cards were first produced for display in theater lobbies and foyers, to attract the attention of passersby. The cards are smaller in format than posters, printed on more durable stock, and issued in sets of varying number. The movie stills printed on the cards may trace a film’s narrative or highlight particular scenes. Full credits may appear on only one card in the set, while the others carry a minimal amount of text.

There are 2,194 sets of lobby cards in the Fonoroff Collection, each consisting of from two to twenty cards, for a total of 21,233 cards. The vast majority of the card sets were produced to promote Hong Kong films; the remaining sets were made for films shot in mainland China, or for foreign films distributed in Hong Kong or the mainland. Most date between the 1950s and the 1970s, with a few sets dating to earlier decades.

Lobby cards by title 大堂剧照目录