John Cena’s new film ‘Matchbook’ accused of copying Tom Hardy’s ‘Locke’ poster

When the first promotional poster for John Cena’s upcoming film Matchbook surfaced online this week, fans immediately noticed something familiar. The new artwork, showing Cena behind the wheel of a car illuminated by blurred lights, looked almost identical to the 2013 poster for Locke, the Tom Hardy drama that famously featured the actor driving through the night.

The comparison quickly went viral on Reddit, where a thread titled ‘Matchbook’ movie poster (new John Cena film) is a blatant rip-off a poster released for ‘Locke’ starring Tom Hardy drew thousands of comments. Users shared side-by-side images of the two posters, pointing out the nearly identical composition, colour palette, lighting and typography.

Both images centre on a close-up of a lone man’s face, with warm amber lighting and out-of-focus streetlights streaking across the background. The titles are placed in similar fonts and positioning, while both actors are captured in tense, reflective expressions. Many online commenters accused Matchbook’s marketing team of lacking originality, calling the design ‘a carbon copy’ and ‘lazy rebranding’.

Some film fans defended the creative choice, suggesting the resemblance could be an intentional homage. One Redditor wrote that Locke’s minimalist approach might have inspired the new film’s poster, especially if Matchbook also unfolds largely within a car. Still, others argued that the similarity goes beyond homage and veers into imitation, particularly since Locke’s design became iconic for its emotional intensity and simplicity.

Neither Cena nor the Matchbook production team has commented on the accusations. The studio behind the film has not issued an official statement or confirmed whether the released poster is the final version.

Marketing similarities are not uncommon in Hollywood, where visual trends often echo across genres. However, the scale of the resemblance here has reignited debate about originality in film promotion. In the past, similar controversies have emerged over posters for The Island and Oblivion, as well as Black Swan and Perfect Blue.

Whether deliberate or coincidental, the Matchbook design has already achieved what all studios crave: attention. With fans dissecting every visual detail, the controversy may ultimately boost the film’s visibility ahead of release, even if for all the wrong reasons.