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4[[quoteright:300:[[Film/MorningGlory https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morning_glory.jpg]]]]
5[[caption-width-right:300:[[Creator/HarrisonFord Rachel McAdams]] was clearly having a tough day.]]
6
7You're looking at a movie poster. There's the [[PoliceLineup lineup]] of the cast, or their [[FloatingHeadSyndrome floating heads]], or their [[MirroredConfrontationShot mirrored profiles]]. You look up at the names of the actors, and much to the annoyance of your inner {{neat freak}}, the names listed don't match up with the actors. Why does this happen? Well, there could be a number of reasons. Maybe the text was laid out at a different time than the graphic. Maybe the actor's contracts stipulate whose name goes in which order (and the actor whose name comes first also has to be prominently in the middle of the poster). Maybe it was meant as some sort of joke. It could be that as is the convention for Hollywood posters, the highest paid or top-billed actor is displayed on the poster as the central figure in the image, and all lower-billed actors placed outward; whereas the names of the same actors are arranged in order of prominence from left to right.
8
9There's also a rarer opening titles version, involving the credits not being aligned with the clips being shown, resulting in one actor's name appearing on top of footage of a completely different actor--often to the audience's confusion, if the cast members in question are not familiar names.
10
11See also DiagonalBilling, which can be a cause of this trope if it's employed on the poster as well as in the credits.
12
13----
14!!Examples:
15[[foldercontrol]]
16
17[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
18* Imagine how neat and organized the ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' [[https://originalvintagemovieposters.com/shrek-1-sheet-movie-poster/ poster]] would be if the names of the voice actors lined up in accordance to how each character is positioned below. Farquaad is the only character who lines up with the name of his respective actor.
19[[/folder]]
20
21[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
22* If you look across the posters for ''Film/MorningGlory'' you can observe that they are more likely to get Creator/HarrisonFord's name misplaced. For example, this [[http://img.soundtrackcollector.com/movie/large/Morning_glory_(2011).jpg poster]] puts him under Creator/RachelMcAdams' name and vice versa.
23* ''Film/WildHogs'': The [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Wild-hogs-poster-750_7146.jpg poster]] swaps Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence (while correctly labeling John Travolta and William H. Macy).
24* ''Film/BadBoysII'': [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bad_boys_two.jpg Will Smith and Martin Lawrence]] get swapped.
25* ''Film/SmartPeople'': [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9d/Smart_people.jpg Four names]], none in the correct position (or even labeling an actor of the right ''gender'').
26* ''Film/TheFlightOfThePhoenix1965'': The [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/03/Flight_of_the_Phoenix_%281965%29.jpg DVD cover]] appears to label Hardy Kruger as [[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]] and James Stewart as Creator/RichardAttenborough (who isn't on the cover).
27* ''Film/BonCopBadCop'' manages to switch the names of Creator/ColmFeore and Patrick Huard, [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bon_cop_bad_cop.jpg even though they're the only two people on the poster.]]
28* ''The Blind Side'' (the HBO made-for-tv movie starring Ron Silver, not the Sandra Bullock film) has [[http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/33300000/33307899.JPG this]] DVD cover, in which Silver and Rebecca de Mornay get swapped.
29* ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'': [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sherlock-Holmes-Poster_4327.jpg This poster]] confuses Creator/RobertDowneyJr with Creator/JudeLaw.
30* ''Film/SteelMagnolias'': [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Steel_magnolias_poster.jpg Six names, none of which are over the person to which they belong.]]
31* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'', [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/piratesofthecarribbean1.jpg starring Johnny Depp as Elizabeth Swann, Geoffrey Rush as Will Turner, Orlando Bloom as Jack Sparrow, and Keira Knightley as Captain Barbossa]].
32* ''Film/CowboysAndAliens'': [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cowboys__aliens_001_5558.png Three people rotated.]]
33* ''Film/BigGame'': As you can see on the film's page, Onni Tommila and Creator/SamuelLJackson exchanged names.
34* ''Film/{{Saved}}'': Not only misplaced names but only lists four of the five actors shown. [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saved.jpg]]
35* ''Film/MenInBlack3''[='s=] French poster put's Will Smith's name over Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones' name over Will Smith, and Josh Brolin's name over Tommy Lee Jones. While Brolin does play the younger version of Jones's character Agent K, it's still this trope.
36* The poster for ''Film/{{Gigli}}'' had Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's names reversed.
37* ''Film/ConAir'', [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Conairinternational.jpg starring]] Creator/NicolasCage as Creator/JohnMalkovich, Creator/JohnMalkovich as Creator/JohnCusack and Creator/JohnCusack as Nic Cage.
38* ''Film/UndercoverBrother''. Eddie Griffin had a sex change, Chris Kattan woke up as a black man with a huge Afro, and Denise Richards applied some {{Blackface}}.
39* The [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edisonforce.jpg DVD cover]] of ''Film/{{Edison}}'' features Morgan Freeman as Justin Timberlake, LL Cool J as Morgan Freeman, Justin Timberlake as LL Cool J, and Kevin Spacey badly photoshopped in.
40* The poster/DVD cover of ''Film/GangsOfNewYork'' features Cameron Diaz as Bill the Butcher.
41* A quite serious offender is [[http://cineticias.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/batman_returns_ver8.jpg the main poster]] for ''Film/BatmanReturns'', which switches the places of Creator/MichellePfeiffer and Creator/DannyDeVito. Not like it's hard to distinguish them in spite of this, but, taken at face value, [=DeVito=] got ''quite'' attractive all of a sudden, while Pfeiffer really let herself ''go''.
42* [[http://moviesoftheday.com/upload/covers/46311/goodfellas-cover-3.jpg The cover]] for the special edition DVD of ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'' has this. The posters, thankfully, got it right.
43* [[http://i.imgur.com/DDIYg.jpg The poster]] for ''Film/LockedDown''. Apparently, Vinnie Jones has turned into a large, ScaryBlackMan. So has Bai Ling.
44* According to ''Film/TheRock''[='=]s poster, Creator/NicolasCage [[SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou Is About To Shoot You]].
45* Played with in the [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/Dr._Jekyll_and_Ms._Hyde_poster.jpg poster]] for ''Film/DrJekyllAndMsHyde''. [[RainbowSpeak The color of the stars' names]] [[PinkGirlBlueBoy should tip you off]].
46* [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1564367/ Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston]] on the poster for ''Film/JustGoWithIt''.
47* The page image for ''Film/RatRace'': eight actors, none of which have the correct name beneath them.
48* [[https://vistapointe.net/images/the-lucky-one-3.jpg This poster]] for ''Film/TheLuckyOne'', starring Creator/ZacEfron and Taylor Schilling.
49* [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the-avengers-poster_8748.jpg The poster]] for ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' as seen on its page. The only correct one is Creator/ScarlettJohansson. But Mark Ruffalo and Creator/TomHiddleston are nowhere to be found, at least in the flesh!
50* ''Film/OlympusHasFallen'': I thought Freeman was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Olympus_Has_Fallen_poster.jpg black one]]. The sequel ''Film/LondonHasFallen'' exaggerates this as not only are the names [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/london_has_fallen_poster3.jpg still displaced]], they're no longer matching from the first poster either!
51* The first ''Film/CharliesAngels2000'' film did this too.
52* ''Film/JoyfulNoise'': [[http://tvafterdarkonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/JoyfulNoise_ad3.jpg Keke Palmer is not Queen Latifah.]].
53* PlayedWith in the poster for ''Film/SevenPsychopaths''. The actors playing each psychopath are listed at the top, and are depicted standing in a different order — but each name is conveniently numbered. Maybe all posters should do this!
54* The UK posters for ''Film/Red2'', as analysed by Dave Gorman [[http://gormano.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/i-travelled-into-town-yesterday-for.html here]].
55* [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fd/Double_Take_%282001%29_film_poster.jpg Double Take]], starring Eddie Griffin and Orlando Jones. There is at least one review of ''Film/UndercoverBrother'' that referred to Eddie Griffin as Orlando Jones likely due to this trope.
56* The French poster for ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'' has Nick Frost and Simon Pegg listed as Simon Pegg and Nick frost.
57* The ''Film/{{Grease}}'' poster shows Creator/JohnTravolta's name above Olivia Newton-John, and Olivia Newton-John's name above John Travolta.
58* {{Justified|Trope}} with the ''Film/FreakyFriday2003'' poster, which shows Creator/JamieLeeCurtis and Creator/LindsayLohan below each other's names, in reference to their characters spending most of the movie [[FreakyFridayFlip trapped in each other's bodies]].
59* The [[http://www.imdb.com/media/rm183601920/tt0177789 movie poster]] for ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' does it.
60* [[http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1901633024/tt0093223 The movie poster]] for ''Film/HouseOfGames'' has the names of the two leads swapped around.
61* Some DVD and Blu-Ray releases of ''Film/DeathRace2000'' have Frankenstein's (Creator/DavidCarradine) and Machine Gun Joe's (Creator/SylvesterStallone) [[FloatingHeadSyndrome heads on the cover]] (in that order), while the text above reads "Stallone vs. Carradine".
62* The poster for 2014's ''Film/RideAlong'' has Music/IceCube's name above Kevin Hart's body and vice-versa.
63* Based on the poster for ''Film/AmericanHustle'', the five stars have (except for Christian Bale) had sex changes in addition to extremely drastic plastic surgery.
64* A particular ridiculous example is this ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' [[http://www.empireonline.com/gallery/image.asp?id=80993&caption=&gallery=5147 poster]] where Creator/HughJackman is the only one credited ''yet isn't even on the poster''.
65* ''Film/SomeLikeItHot'' has a few home video covers that give Creator/MarilynMonroe top billing, and place her in the front and center. However, since Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are also BilledAboveTheTitle, these covers end up having Marilyn pose underneath Tony Curtis' name, with him underneath hers. (Jack Lemmon ended up in the proper spot, though.)
66* A slight variation occurred in one poster promoting ''Film/TropicThunder'': Creator/BenStiller, Creator/JackBlack, and Creator/RobertDowneyJr all had their names prominently listed on the top of the poster, but only Ben Stiller and Robert Downey, Jr were in the actual image. This actually lead to some controversy: The film was already becoming a bit controversial for Downey, Jr. spending most of his screen-time in black face; The placement of the names and the fact that the actors were listed by surname also made it look as though he was being billed as "Black Downey Jr".
67* Look at the poster of ''Film/TheMuppets2011'': apparently Creator/AmyAdams is playing Walter (the little Muppet) and Chris Cooper is playing a chick.
68* Not technically a poster, but check out [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bve4Xz-IYAIcMRe.jpg:large this gem]] from an early trailer of ''Film/TheExpendables3''.
69* ''Film/TheGirlWithTheDragonTattoo2011'' [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTczNDk4NTQ0OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDAxMDgxNw@@._V1_.jpg trades the girl with the guy next to her]].
70* The [[http://dodomacineclub.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/butch-cassidy-and-the-sundance-kid.jpg ultimate collector's edition slipcover]] of ''Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid'' has Creator/PaulNewman and Creator/RobertRedford's names swapped. However, the [[http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51a0YxK7J%2BL.jpg cover of the case itself]] uses the same text with a different pictures where the actors match their names.
71* On the poster for ''Film/GrudgeMatch'' exactly zero out of the six actors' names line up with the proper actor's face.
72* The [[http://www.impawards.com/2007/georgia_rule.html poster]] for ''Film/GeorgiaRule'' has a picture of the three stars, their names, and the tagline "Mother. Daughter. Grandaughter."--none of which properly line up.
73* [[http://www.heyuguys.com/images/2012/12/Beautiful-Creatures-UK-Poster.jpg This poster]] for ''Film/BeautifulCreatures'' may be the crowning example: ''seven'' cast members are listed, and only one of them matches up with their picture!
74* ''Film/FriendsWithMoney'': The only person on the poster that matches up with their name is Frances [=McDormand=]. Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener, and Jennifer Aniston all do a bodyswap.
75* The ''Film/InspectorGadget1999'' [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5b/Inspector_gadget_ver2.jpg poster]] has Creator/MatthewBroderick and Creator/RupertEverett's names swapped around not matching the respective actors.
76* ''Film/RevolutionaryRoad''. Please note that [[Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio the man with the beard]] is ''not'' Creator/KateWinslet.
77* Film/MarginCall''. Pictures of eight actors, above their names (plus one). The only name in the right place is that of Creator/SimonBaker.
78* The [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/College_Road_Trip_Poster_2.jpg poster]] for ''CollegeRoadTrip'' indicates that Raven Symone is taking a young woman named Martin Lawrence on the aforementioned trip.
79* [[https://i1.wp.com/teaser-trailer.com/wp-content/uploads/Triple-Frontier-Banner-Poster.jpg This poster]] for ''Film/TripleFrontier'' gets all the names and photos matched up correctly. [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODU4MzM2MDAxMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDEzNjM0NzM@._V1_.jpg This one]] only manages two out of five.
80* Zig-zagged with ''Film/StayTuned.'' While the film's [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Stay_Tuned_Poster.jpg original theatrical poster]] had Creator/JohnRitter and Pam Dawber's names not match up with their corresponding actors, all home video releases, such as [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/34446922_sa_2.jpg this 2019 Blu-Ray release]], have the cover art literally reversed, completely averting the trope.
81* ''Film/SavingSilverman'': The DVD cover has none of the four stars' names above their pictures.
82* ''Film/FortyEightHrs'': [[https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/3315/33155379_sa.jpg This DVD cover]] manages to get the ''two'' leads' names each placed over the other's picture.
83* ''Film/KnivesOut'' has ''many'' people, with Creator/DanielCraig front and center... and his name all the way to the left.
84* ''Film/TomorrowIsForever'' is a great example, with the faces of Creator/OrsonWelles, George Brent, and Creator/ClaudetteColbert dominating the poster, while underneath are billed Claudette Colbert, Orson Welles, and George Brent. The likely reaction is, "[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/poster_tomorrow_is_forever_01.jpg Hm... Claudette is looking a bit puffy there.]]"
85* ''Film/RedPlanet'' stars Val Kilmer, whose head is centered but whose name is on the left. Most jarringly, this leaves Carrie-Anne Moss with Tom Sizemore's name.
86* ''Film/BillAndTedFaceTheMusic'' has a good excuse. Since the first two films came out, Keanu Reeves has become a major star, while Alex Winter quit acting to work behind the camera. Consequently, Keanu receives top billing, with his name on the left of the poster. However, the franchise has a longstanding tradition of placing Bill, played by Winter, on the left of the screen, while Ted, played by Reeves, is on the right. Consequently, the actors appear on the opposite side as their names.
87* ''Film/YouAgain'' has [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/pt/a/aa/You_Again.jpg five names]], and only Odette Youstman is under her own. Not even the pictures they're tearing match the names above!
88* Any fan of ''Series/TheInbetweeners'' will see that [[Film/TheInbetweeners its film]]'s poster suffers from terminal transposition.
89* They Came Together. Possibly a play on the trope, it's almost as if they did it deliberately.
90* ''Film/{{Airheads}}'' stars Creator/BrendanFraser, Creator/SteveBuscemi, and Creator/AdamSandler, however, the poster shows the trio standing in a police line-up with Sandler, Fraser, and Buscemi from left-to-right.
91* [[https://www.slashfilm.com/img/gallery/house-of-gucci-release-date-cast-and-more/intro-import.jpg One]] of the posters for ''Film/HouseOfGucci'' matches all the names with the right pictures. The [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDZaFFXakAEKQQ6.jpg second]] gets only two out of five correctly paired up, and the [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/house_of_gucci.jpeg third]] has all five of them mismatched. (Notably, the actors' names are listed in the same order on all three; only the arrangement of the pictures varies.)
92* Thanks to DiagonalBilling, the poster for ''Film/NothingToLose'' identifies Creator/TimRobbins as Creator/MartinLawrence and vice versa.
93* ''Film/TicketToParadise'', starring Creator/JuliaRoberts as a woman named Creator/GeorgeClooney and George Clooney as her ex-husband Julia Roberts.
94* ''Film/{{Bandidas}}'': Most of the posters feature the two main stars being BackToBackBadasses, but often mix up their names. The one featured at the top of the work page is an exception.
95[[/folder]]
96
97[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
98* The [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BOSJ_Poster_7710.png promotional poster]] for the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E6TheBellsOfSaintJohn "The Bells of Saint John"]] switches Creator/MattSmith and Creator/JennaColeman.
99* Some of the DVD covers for ''Series/{{Nashville}}'' [[http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/OTAwWDE2MDA=/z/9lUAAOSwPhdU~j8P/$_35.JPG suggest that]] Creator/ConnieBritton and Creator/HaydenPanettiere are starring in another remake of ''FreakyFriday''.
100* The original titles for ''Series/{{Thirtysomething}}'' suffer from the opening credits version of this trope. The credits are in alphabetical order, but the visuals are completely doing their own thing, ignoring the credits--resulting in, for example, Timothy Busfield's name appearing over footage of Melanie Mayron vamping (and Mayron's credit appears over one of the babies).
101* The season 1 titles to ''Series/{{Bones}}'' had a similar problem to ''thirtysomething''. While the names for David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel were matched (somewhat) correctly with their actors, the same couldn't be said for the others. For example, TJ Thyne's name was superimposed over Deschanel's face while Jonathan Adams' name was over both Boreanaz's face and the back of Deschanel's head. Season 2 corrected this going forward.
102* French posters for ''Series/SpecialOpsLioness''show Creator/NicoleKidman's name over Creator/MorganFreeman's face.
103[[/folder]]
104
105[[folder:Music]]
106* The album covers for ''Double Fantasy'' and ''Milk and Honey'' switch the names of Music/JohnLennon and Music/YokoOno.
107* Music/CrosbyStillsAndNash: their first album, the photo used for the cover has from left to right: Nash, Stills, and Crosby. Somewhat {{Justified|Trope}}, apparently: According to Website/TheOtherWiki, the photo was taken at an abandoned house, and at the time, the three had not yet decided on a name. By the time they settled on "Crosby, Stills and Nash", the house had been torn down.
108* The official soundtrack for ''Shrek'' is similar to the poster in the Films section, [[https://66.media.tumblr.com/8d8558ce0e5a8b8fd39a0c0c96162ba6/tumblr_pi0gwt4rYT1rhrm2r_540.jpg as shown here.]]
109* The American {{supergroup}} Eyes Adrift had to use a MarketBasedTitle in Australia due to there already being an Australian group using the name - they went with Bud, Curt And Krist, that being the members' first names in alphabetical order. However, the original album cover depicted the faces of [[{{Music/Sublime}} Bud Gough]], [[{{Music/Nirvana}} Krist Novoselic]] and [[Music/MeatPuppets Curt Kirkwood]] in that order - in order to avert this trope, they also altered the cover art of the Australian edition so that Curt was in the middle and everyone's name would match up with their faces.
110[[/folder]]
111
112[[folder:Video Games]]
113* In ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'', loading screens for joining a server show a movie poster with the four player characters standing side-to-side, with a list of each player below the poster, their names listed in the same order as their characters. However, some creators of custom campaigns forget to set the order correctly for their campaign's poster, leading to, for example, Nick being on the right-hand side of the poster while the person playing him is listed first (by default from left to right it goes Nick, Rochelle, Coach, Ellis). The first ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' averted this by having the names listed right above their characters' heads (and requiring X and Y coordinates for those names), but also made it [[GoodBadBugs much more apparent (not to mention funny)]] when a campaign's creator got lazy about it.
114[[/folder]]
115
116[[folder:Web Video]]
117* ''Creator/GregoryAustinMcconnell'': Discussed in [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yQhC1Kfrs3o&pp=ygUhd2h5IGRvbnQgbmFtZXMgbGluZSB1cCBpbiBwb3N0ZXJz Why Don't Movie Poster Names EVER Line Up?!]] where he explains that it's caused by actors wanting their names to be as close to the top left as possible.
118[[/folder]]
119
120[[folder:Western Animation]]
121* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': The front of the [[http://whoovesnassistant.tumblr.com/post/26245974913/at-brony-con-2012-the-pre-release-of-mlp-cards Mayor Mare & Time Turner]] [[TheMerch trading card]] does this with the names of the two characters on the card.
122[[/folder]]
123
124[[folder:Other]]
125* The VCR game ''Clue II: Murder in Disguise'' shows the caption "billiard room" over the introduction of the character Inspector Pride.
126-->'''Inspector Pride''': My name is Inspector Pride.
127-->'''[[WebVideo/OddityArchive Ben Minnotte]]''': No, it's not! I-it's Billiard Room, I could see it right there on the screen.
128* This is the premise of [[Website/{{Botchamania}} Botchamania]]'s "That's Not My Name" section where the name display doesn't match the wrestler appears on-screen.
129[[/folder]]
130

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