AP style treats movie titles as names of creative works, so you must capitalize principal words and treat punctuation as part of the title. In print and digital text that cannot support italics, use headline-style capitalization with quoted title sequences and standard punctuation rather than underlines. This overview explains how to format movie titles consistently for references, headlines, and captions, focusing on capitalization rules, italics and quotation use, and handling of subtitles and special characters.
AP Style Capitalization Rules for Movie Titles
Capitalize the first and last words of the title and subtitle, along with all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions. Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet) with fewer than five letters, or the word to
in infinitives unless they are the first or last word of the title. Retain original capitalization in foreign-language titles and preserve apostrophes, dashes, and punctuation as they appear in the official title.
Headline Capitalization Details
Headline-style capitalization is often called title case in AP usage, yet AP reserves title case
mainly for headlines. For bylines, decks, and captions, apply the same principal-word rule while keeping articles, short coordinating conjunctions, and to
lowercase unless they start or end the title. Hyphenated words are treated as one compound; capitalize the first element and, generally, the first word following the hyphen unless it is a articles or short conjunction.
Subtitle and Punctuation Handling
When a movie has a subtitle, separate it from the main title with a colon and a space. Capitalize the subtitle using the same rules as the main title. Retain all original punctuation, including question marks, exclamation points, ellipses, and em dashes, placing closing quotation marks after the punctuation if the title is quoted. For official abbreviations, use the studio or region form and follow the studio’s own style where known.
Italics, Quotation Marks, and Plain-Text Alternatives
In AP style, italics are preferred for movie titles in most digital and offline contexts to signal they are names of works. In environments that do not support italics, such as plain-text email or some CMS fields, use quotation marks around the title and follow headline capitalization. Underlining is reserved for final printed manuscripts prepared for typesetting and is not used in standard AP-style prose, headlines, captions, or deck text.
Italics in News Text
Use italics for the full title including subtitle, and place only standard punctuation inside the italics if it belongs to the title. For quoted material outside the title, end with a comma or period inside the quotation marks per standard punctuation rules. Avoid combining underlines with italics; choose one method appropriate for your medium and maintain consistency across references.
Plain-Text and Social Media Considerations
When italics are unavailable, switch to quoted title sequences with standard punctuation and headline-style capitalization. Do not use all caps for entire titles unless it is part of the official title; excessive caps can reduce readability and may conflict with accessibility guidelines. Maintain clarity for readers by providing the year or studio only when it adds context and does not disrupt the title flow.
Examples of Movie Titles in AP Style
The following table shows how AP-style capitalization and formatting appear for full titles, subtitles, and special punctuation. These examples reflect standard treatment rather than exhaustive exceptions; always defer to the official title as presented by the filmmaker or distributor when in doubt.
| Attribute | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Main title only | The Social Network | Official title |
| Title with subtitle | Hidden Figures: The Equal Struggle for Success | Official title |
| Title with colon in subtitle | Inside Job: The Banking Crisis | Official title |
| Title with apostrophe | Joe’s Versus | Official title |
| Title with hyphen | Night-Crawler | Official title |
| Title with ellipsis | Gone … Forgotten | Official title |
| Title with exclamation | Knives Out! | Official title |
| Title with ampersand | Harry & Sally | Official title |
| Short coordinating conjunction in title | Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure | Official title |
| Preposition with five or more letters | Transformers: Age of Extinction | Official title |
Practical Formatting Across Platforms
- Italics in print and digital text: preferred for movie titles; ensure accessibility by avoiding color or styling alone to convey meaning.
- Quoted titles in plain-text fields: use quotation marks with headline capitalization; retain official punctuation inside the quotes.
- Headlines and decks: apply the same principal-word capitalization rules; keep articles and short coordinating conjunctions lowercase unless they begin or end the line.
- Captions and image overlays: use concise title forms, retain italics or quotes as platform allows, and avoid underlining unless preparing final typescript.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not capitalize every word in a title; follow the principal-word rule and keep short articles and conjunctions lowercase. Avoid underlining movie titles in body text, as this is a manuscript convention, not an AP-style rule. Do not add italics or quotes around a movie title in the alt text of an image if the visible title already accurately reflects the official form. When in doubt, verify the official title spelling, punctuation, and capitalization directly from the film’s credits or an authoritative distributor listing.
Reference and Consistency Guidance
For long-term consistency, establish an internal style note that records how your outlet formats movie titles across reviews, news, and features. Apply identical treatment to television episodes, books, songs, and other creative works by aligning with how your audience expects titles to appear in your region and language. Periodically audit published content to correct any deviations and ensure adherence to current AP style and your own house style.