Paramount Pictures/Logo Variations

Main Logo Variations Trailer Variations

These are the logo variations used throughout the years by Paramount Pictures, with more to be added over time.

Wings (1927, 2012 reissue):

The 2012 restoration uses a rather unique variant that is fitting for the first Best Picture Oscar winner. The 2010 variant of the 2002 logo or the "100 Years" variant of the 2011 logo plays out in full and in 4:3 open matte aspect ratio, with the former starting when the stars are descending to the water and zooming in during the end of the animation and the former zooming in a little bit after the logo gets to its position, while the latter zooming in at the end, which then dissolves into the end of the 1986 logo (with Paramount Communications byline), followed by the 1974 logo (where the Gulf+Western byline slides in). This backtracking continues up until the 1926 logo, at which point the screen fades to black, and the logo that introduced the film fades in. The logo variant from Red Garters also makes a cameo appearance in this variant.

São Paulo, Sinfonia da Metrópole (1929, Brazil):

The 1917 logo is translucent, with the text "DISTRIBUIDA PELA PARAMOUNT" ("Distributed by Paramount" in Portuguese).

The Milky Way (1936):

The logo starts with "ADOLPH ZUKOR PRESENTS" text, then it fades out and "A Paramount Picture" fades in. After 3 seconds, the mountain and the text fades out, leaving just the stars. A cow appears around the stars and moos, the logo parodying the MGM roaring lion logo.

Dancing on a Dime (1940):

The 1917 logo is embossed on a white wall.

Mystery Sea Raider (1940):

The logo looks different and is seen in what looks like a painting.

Sullivan's Travels (1941):

The logo appears as a seal on a package; said package contains a book featuring the film title/credits.

Take a Letter, Darling (1942):

The 1917 logo is seen on the cover of a folder.

Henry and Dizzy (1942):

The logo is a simplified mountain outline on a white background, with the "A Paramount Picture" text in black.

Jasper and the Haunted House (1942):

At the start of the film, the 1917 logo is imprinted on the bottom of a pie tin. As a song about making gooseberry pie is sung behind it, it shows Jasper (the titular character) making a gooseberry pie, with the film's opening credits representing the pie's ingredients. The opening sequence ends with an image of the completed pie.

At the end of the film, Jasper drops the empty pie tin (which he had been using to beat the film's villains over the head) which lands on the ground re-exposing the 1912 logo, which now says "A Paramount Picture", as the film ends.

Lady in the Dark (1944):

The logo is superimposed on a blue starry sky at the beginning...

....and at the break of dawn at the end. The text has a shadow effect and is tinted saffron. The mountains in both variations are blurry.

Santa's Surprise (1947, Noveltoons):

One of the stars turns yellow and becomes the star on a Christmas tree.

Sunset Boulevard (1950):

The logo is superimposed on a street.

Saved by the Bell (Noveltoons short, 1950):

The closing features Herman the Mouse walking past the Paramount logo.

Alpine for You (Popeye short, 1951):

An end gag that may have started it all. Bluto is on this mountain top, then Popeye grabs the mountain top (with Bluto on it) with a lasso. He then punches Bluto and lets go of the mountain top, and stars emerge from Bluto's head and form the Paramount logo, as the words "A Paramount Picture" and "Color by TECHNICOLOR" appear below Bluto. Popeye later appears from the bottom of the screen and blows his pipe.

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952):

The logo appears on the background of a spinning wheel.

Popeye, the Ace of Space (Popeye short, 1953):

The closing features Popeye smoking his pipe, making the Paramount logo. It was also credited as a "Stereotoon".

Rear Window (1954):

At the end of the film, the curtains of the character James Stewart's windows close, and the Paramount text and stars appear over the courtyard. This little vignette, reminiscent of the first shot when the curtains open, was removed when Universal Studios acquired the film (which damaged the visual and narrative flow), but was later restored.

Red Garters (1954):

After a few seconds, the "A Paramount Picture" text fades out, leaving only the stars and the background. The stars spin for a moment, then twenty stars "fly" away while the other four fade into four lamps inside a stage.

The sky is burnt sienna at the beginning...

...and completely red/crimson at the end of the film.

No Ifs, Ands or Butts (Noveltoons short, 1954):

The closing features Buzzy taking a drag on a "King size!" cigarette and blowing the smoke into the air, which reveals the Paramount logo.

Rabbit Punch (Noveltoons short, 1955):

The closing features Tommy Tortoise pulling the Paramount mountain logo from the canvas to a full screen, then walks in front of it.

Pedro and Lorenzo (Noveltoons short, 1956):

The closing features the Paramount logo appearing on a book end cover.

War and Peace (1956):

A different representation of the mountain appears. The clouds are also still and the mountain is less realistic than in the standard version.

The Ten Commandments (1956):

A reddish-brown mountain (intended to be Mount Sinai) appears with a red sky, with the words "Paramount Presents" in gold and moved to the top near the stars. The words "A CECIL B. DE MILLE PRODUCTION", also in gold, appear below. This variant was designed by artist Arnold Friberg, who also developed the typeface for the film's main titles.

The Buccaneer (1958):

The font is slightly changed and seems more "handwritten", and the name is not stretched to fit within the circle of stars, which are also pink. Under the Paramount script are the words "SUPERVISED BY" in a Roman font and "Cecil B. DeMille" in DeMille's signature handwriting.

Vertigo (1958):

The standard VistaVision variant plays, but appears darker and in black and white, and the clouds are static.

The Savage Innocents (1960):

The stars are nowhere to be seen, and the "A Paramount Release" text is enlarged to fit the screen. Also, a brighter version of the mountain backdrop from the War and Peace variant is used.

Psycho (1960):

The logo appears as a still, scanlined, black-and-white image (matching the opening credits), with the text in white and outlined in black.

The Ladies Man (1961):

At the end of the film, the stars and the usual "The End" text are replaced with the word "Ovur", which then fades to the text "We wish to Thank the United States Armed Forces ....(But only if they came to see the picture.)"

The Son of Captain Blood (1963):

A copyright stamp and MPAA certificate appear under the logo.

Lady in a Cage (1964):

The mountain background is partially obscured by black lines (a la Psycho), while the text is unaffected.

Zulu (1964):

Similar to War and Peace, but with grayer colors instead of warmer tones. As seen on a TCM broadcast and some prints outside the US. The standard version is sometimes used instead.

Becket (1964):

At the end of the film, a drawing of the Paramount logo appears in red, superimposed over the closing scene.

Another print of the film replaces this with a smaller mountain symbol (with more stars underneath the mountain) and the text "A PARAMOUNT RELEASE" above it.

Is Paris Burning? (1966):

The intermission title card uses a slightly different version of the Paramount logo as its background.

At the end of the film, the background from the intermission is used, but has a little more color. The "The End" text is also in the same font as the intermission card.

If.... (1968) and Paper Moon (1973):

The 1968 logo is in black and white.

Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (1969):

The print logo appears with a blue inner circle and white mountain (which has a jagged lower portion). Also, the Gulf+Western byline is yellow, and the stars flash like neon lights before stopping.

Downhill Racer (1969, 1984 reissue):

The second half of the 1975 logo has its background changed to silver.

The Godfather trilogy (2008 reissue):

On the 2008 Coppola Restoration DVD/Blu-ray, the 2003 logo is tinted in orange.

Chinatown (1974):

The 1926 "A Paramount Picture" logo is used, but in sepia tone and flanked by black clouds on either side of the screen.

The White Dawn (1974):

Similar to If.... and Paper Moon, but the image has a grainy, "old-time" look to it.

Nashville (1975):

Similar to the White Dawn variant, but the 1974 logo is used instead and looks more shaky. The scratchy effect was reportedly achieved when director Robert Altman took the negative with the logo on it, threw it onto the ground, and stomped on it.

The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977):

The 1975 logo fades to a shot of mashed potatoes (shaped like a mountain) being pressed by a hand.

Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977):

The background in the second half of the logo is changed to pink.

Goin' South (1978):

The logo plays in reverse and becomes a still image once it reaches its starting point. Then the mountain becomes paler and more sand-like before the yellow text "PARAMOUNT PICTURES PRESENTS" appears and the camera fades to the opening shot of the movie.

Grease (1978, 2010 re-release) and The Warriors (2006, video game):

The Gulf+Western byline is replaced with the 1995 Viacom byline.

The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978):

In the second half of the logo, the mountain is changed to resemble Mount Fuji, and the Gulf+Western byline is set in Franklin Gothic instead of News Gothic.

Popeye (1980):

In the cold, grayscaled opening sequence, the 1953 logo is shown with an old projector effect.

Reds (1981):

The logo is on a wild blue-yonder colored background, and the mountain symbol is dark blue with a grayish tint.

Indiana Jones film series:

The 1953 logo is used with the 1968 Gulf+Western byline. The background then fades to one of the following:

A mountain in the Brazilian jungle (Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)).

The design of the mountain on a gong in Club Obi-Wan, Shanghai (Temple of Doom (1984)). A man (a la Rank Organisation) hits the gong.

A canyon structure in Utah (Last Crusade (1989)).

A sandy molehill in Nevada (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)). The variant from Zodiac is used.

For Dial of Destiny (2023), the logo is shortened to its final seconds. It also lacks a fade-out to an opening shot (the Lucasfilm logo instead serves this purpose), making this the only film in the Indiana Jones series to do so.

Star Trek film series:

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984): The 1975 logo fades to white at the end.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989): The 1988 logo fades to white at the end, segueing into the "Nimbus III in the Neutral Zone" prologue.

Scrooged (1988):

The 1988 logo plays normally, but after it finishes, the camera zooms over the Paramountain into a night sky. Also, the "Paramount" script and Gulf+Western byline (in the same font as the 75 Years prototype variant) are in silver instead of the usual white color.

Coming to America film series:

Coming to America (1988): The logo animates as usual, but when it finishes, the background changes to Zamunda and the camera zooms past the mountain. Also, the logo begins with a still picture of the mountain before animating normally.

Coming 2 America (2021, Amazon Prime Video): The 2011 Paramount logo is used this time. After the logo animation is complete, the stars, company name and byline fade out, and the camera zooms past the mountain to start the movie.

Black Rain (1989):

The 1989 logo fades to red at the end.

Soapdish (1991):

When the 1990 logo finishes, white circles representing soap bubbles appear one by one and cover the screen.

Itsy Bitsy Spider (1992):

Instead of the normal logo, an animated rendition of the mountain is seen, with the stars, company name and byline in 2D, which fade out as it segues into the opening scene.

Clueless (1995):

The 1995 logo animates as usual, accompanied by dramatic synthesizer stabs that eventually transition into the Muffs' version of "Kids in America". Once the logo finishes, an iris out transition leads us into the film's opening credits.

Congo (1995):

The logo fades to the opening scene after it finishes.

Braveheart (1995, US):

The logo has a gray-ish tint.

The Indian in the Cupboard (1995, PC):

The print logo appears in cyan in front of a glowing, blue full moon, lining the top of the circle with the top of the moon.

A Very Brady Sequel (1996):

After the logo finishes, it fades to a mountain in Krabi, Thailand (a la Indiana Jones), segueing into the movie's opening scene.

The Beautician and the Beast (1997):

After the logo finishes, the Paramount script and stars fade away, and the mountain scene becomes more picturesque as the camera pans down into the forest to segue into the animated opening credits.

Event Horizon (1997):

The logo animates as usual, with a slower version of the Paramount on Parade theme rearranged by Michael Kamen. Also, the logo cuts in from black instead of fading in. After the logo finishes, the Paramount script and stars fade away as the camera zooms past the mountain into outer space, where the opening credits play.

Hard Rain (1998):

The logo is gray and at the beginning, there are additional black clouds in the sky. Also, the camera seems to zoom in on the mountain instead of actually moving towards it. As the stars come in, the scene becomes darker and cloudier until neither the sky nor the rest of the landscape are visible. The Paramount script and byline fade in normally, then fade out as the camera pans downwards and the opening credits play.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999, US):

It's the first movie to use the 1999 logo, which plays as normal. Once it finishes, it fades to a snow-capped and similarly shaped cardboard mountain before panning to the town of South Park, segueing into the opening title and "Mountain Town", the film's opening number. (This variant was seen only on the US release; international prints use the 1999 Warner Bros. Pictures logo, which plays as normal before fading out and fading into the cardboard mountain.)

Sleepy Hollow (1999):

The logo is more desaturated than usual.

Operation Sandman: Warriors in Hell (Paramount Network Television, 2000):

The logo begins with the "Paramount" text already formed, and appears in a TV-turning on effect. The Viacom byline fades in afterwards, while the logo glitches and cuts to several sequences, including an animated brain and a man.

Snow Day (2000):

Wind chimes are heard over the logo. Also, the top half of the logo is tinted blue, making it look "frozen".

Rules of Engagement (2000):

After the logo finishes, it suddenly cuts into a forest scenery, before cutting to the Seven Arts Pictures logo.

Save the Last Dance (2001):

The logo fades to the MTV Productions logo once it finishes.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003):

The 2003 logo is superimposed over the ocean as part of the opening shot (along with the Mutual Film Company logo), and drifts away after being formed.

The Core (2003):

The logo animates as usual, but with a trademark symbol (TM) instead of a registered trademark symbol (®). Once it finishes, the byline and symbol fade away as the camera zooms into the depths of the mountain, segueing into the opening title.

The Pentagon Papers (Paramount Network Television, 2003):

After the logo finishes, blue photocopier lights cover the screen, which eventually segue into the FX Originals logo, followed by the film's opening sequence.

Team America: World Police (2004):

The logo starts fully formed before quickly playing in reverse once the Viacom byline fades away. Instead of following the stars back into space, the camera stops in front of a set of clouds before zooming backwards into the opening credits.

Suspect Zero (2004):

The logo is darker.

Alfie (2004):

The logo is tinted in magenta.

Collateral (2004, international):

As with the US DreamWorks variation, the Paramount logo is in black and white.

Coach Carter (2005):

The logo animates as usual, with sounds of a basketball game heard. However, the logo briefly turns into a drawing (with 25 stars) before reverting back to normal.

Four Brothers (2005):

Snow appears over the second half of the logo as "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane plays.

Elizabethtown (2005) and Zodiac (2007, US):

The 1968 logo is used, with the byline changed to read "A Viacom Company".

Mission: Impossible film series:

Mission: Impossible III (2006): The 2003 logo is darker than usual.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018): The 2011 logo is sped up and shortened slightly, starting just as the stars fly past the screen.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023): The bylineless version of the 2011 logo is sped up again.

Totally Awesome (2006, television film):

The first half of the 2003 logo is glitched, and the first few seconds are cut out. VHS static is also heard throughout this variant.

Beowulf (2007, US):

The logo is slightly enhanced and animates faster than usual in its first half before reverting to normal speed for the second half. This variant also resembles the 2010 logo.

Bee Movie (2007):

At the tail-end of the closing credits, a bee flies from top to bottom and carries the "Distributed By" version of the 2003 logo. After a few seconds, another bee flies from left to right, transitioning to the 2004 DreamWorks Animation logo.

Drillbit Taylor (2008):

The logo is tinted in tannish red.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008):

Various buttons fall down to form the logo, followed by more buttons falling to form the Warner Bros. Pictures logo. The order is reversed on international prints of the film.

The closing variant uses a still version of this variation.

Friday the 13th (2009, international):

The logo is tinted in blood red.

Transformers film series:

In general, all the logos are accompanied by a set of robotic noises.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009): The 2003 logo is tinted in midnight blue.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011): After the 2010 logo finishes animating, the camera pans up into space. Also, the logo appears darker than usual.

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017):
- Opening titles: A metallic version of the print logo appears on a black background, as do the Huahua Media logo and the opening credits.

- Prologue: The 2013 logo is in a shade of blue. Right before the Viacom byline fades in, fireballs fly in from behind the mountain, and the camera follows them, segueing into the film's opening scene.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023): Almost the same as Top Gun: Maverick, but with robotic noises similar to the previous films.

Watchmen film series:

Watchmen (2009): As with the preceding and following two logos, the print logo appears on a mustard yellow background, albeit with the word "Paramount" and the Viacom byline set in Futura Condensed.

Watchmen: Under the Hood (2009): The print logo is seen in yellow on a black square on a yellow background, sliding in from the left before sliding out to the right.

The Last Airbender (2010):

The 2010 logo is slightly tinted in deep blue. In the first half, waves of water replace the stars before reverting to normal stars in the second half, albeit somewhat "frozen" along with the Paramount script. This variant was animated by Devastudios, who would later animate the 2011 logo.

Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010, Australia):

The 2003 logo is cut short at the portion when the "Paramount" script is about to zoom out. It then fades to the complete shot of the mountain with the byline fading in. Also, the widescreen variant of the logo is used, cropped to scope.

Jackass 3D (2010):

The 2010 logo plays normally, but when it finishes, the camera quickly zooms past it into space, where the MTV Films logo takes place.

Paranormal Activity film series:

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011): During the closing credits, the 1986 logo plays, but with the 2010 Viacom byline. The standard closing logo is used after the credits.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014): The 2013 logo animates as usual, but glitches like a video camera as it animates.

Hugo (2011):

The 2010 logo is tinted in frosty blue.

The Avengers (2012, studio credit only):

Blue energy from a tesseract reveals a shorter version of the "100 Years" logo. After the camera stops, the tesseract draws back as the energy dissolves.

World War Z (2013):

The 2013 logo animates as usual, but is desaturated.

Nebraska (2013):

The 1953 logo is used, but with the 2010 Viacom byline added below.

Interstellar (2014):

The logo is tinted in sepia, along with the Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures and Syncopy Productions logos.

The Little Prince (2015):

The logo becomes golden-sepia as golden paper stars fall from above.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015):

The logo appears in the form of a Boy Scouts badge, and the Viacom byline lacks the overline. This was designed by Greenhaus GFX.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016): The logo has a slight green tint and the stars are replaced with shurikens. Also, neither the Viacom byline nor the registered trademark symbol appear. This was done by Greenhaus GFX. An open-matte version of this, with the normal logo's tinting, could be viewed on Greenhaus GFX's website.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023): The logo starts off normally (with a slight orange tint, similar to the Top Gun: Maverick variant), but scratchy hand-drawn smear-line effects are added to the stars as they fly past the camera and touch the water. Parts of the forest slowly turn more painterly as the camera pans over them, and as the Paramount text (also with scratchy hand-drawn smear-line effects) flies in, the entire logo is redrawn and painted in the grungy style of the movie (resembling the variant used in the original trailer). Instead of the usual fanfare, "The Man in the Basement" by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor is heard.

Office Christmas Party (2016): The logo fades into the DreamWorks Pictures logo.

Rings (2017):

The logo animates as normal, but is briefly replaced by a grainy version with a shining ring replacing the stars before returning to normal. It is then revealed to be on a screen.

Tad the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas (2017, Spain):

The logo is tinted in teal and a thunderstorm is visible in the background.

mother! (2017):

The logo is in a shade of gray.

Suburbicon (2017):

After the logo finishes, it is replaced by a 1950s-style title card with a projector filter. The print version of the mountain, lacking the Paramount script, is shown with the words "Paramount Pictures PRESENTS" below it (with the name of the company in its respective script font).

Overlord (2018):

The logo is in black and white.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019):

Domestic: The 2013 logo plays as usual, but is slightly sped up and given a VHS filter. It glitches to a bylineless version of the 1986 logo that is in cyan for a moment before reverting back to its usual colors. Then it glitches to interview footage from Terminator 2: Judgement Day. This also applies to the logos of Skydance, 20th Century Fox and Tencent Pictures.

International: The 2013 logo has VHS static over it, and briefly flashes to the 1989 logo (with the Paramount Communications byline cropped, leaving the line intact). It is also incorporated with the opening dialogue from Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

Sonic the Hedgehog film series:

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020): The 2020 version of the 2011 logo animates as usual, but with golden rings (which come from the Sonic franchise) in place of the stars. The sound of rings being collected is heard after the logo finishes animating. The rings finally stop rotating shortly after the ViacomCBS byline and trademark symbol fade in. Also, instead of the regular fanfare, "Meet Sonic (Before We Start I Gotta Tell You This)", composed by Tom Holkenborg, is used.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022): Almost the same as the first film, but without the ViacomCBS byline or trademark symbol.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022):

The logo is cut down to its second half, has a slight orange tint, and is sped up like in Terminator: Dark Fate.

Babylon (2022):

The 1926 logo is used, and is tinted in sepia. This is also seen at the end of the movie.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023):

The logo starts as usual in an ice blue tint, with snow falling throughout. The logo is set in Icewind Dale, where the film begins: the lake in the first half is frozen, and the mountain is surrounded by stormy clouds. When the stars touch the lake, they make scraping sounds and leave scratches on the lake. At the end, clouds blow to reveal the eOne logo. This variant was animated by yU+co.

In the film's closing titles, the text "PARAMOUNT PICTURES PRESENTS" appears under a drawing of a mountain on a medieval manuscript.

Bob Marley: One Love (2024):

The logo animates as usual. Just as the Paramount script is about to zoom out, the logo slowly turns red, green, and yellow, just like the variant from the film's trailer (red, green and yellow are the colors of both Pan-Africans and Rastafarians).