How to Write a Movie Title in an Essay Correctly

Formatting movie titles seems simple on the surface, but sit down and try to write one, and you’ll learn there’s more than meets the eye. Academic style guides each have their own expectations, and getting it wrong can distract from your argument or hurt your credibility. When you write a movie title in an essay, the details matter, not just the words themselves, but how you present them.

Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Use italics for full-length movies in most styles
• Always capitalize the first word and all major words
• Avoid quotation marks unless required by a specific guide
• Follow the correct rules for APA, MLA, Chicago, or AP style

This article walks through each format with examples so you can stop guessing and start formatting with confidence. If you need more guidance, EssayPro’s expert writing service goes beyond grammar. From structure to citation, short essay to concept paper, we’re here to help.

Need Help with Movie Review Essay?

From choosing the right title to citing like an expert, EssayPro has got you covered.

Start Now

How to Format Movie Titles

In academic work, the right formatting is a must. And movie titles are no exception. The guidelines below will help your reader focus on your ideas and not get distracted by technical errors. 

The most widely accepted rules are:

• Use italics for full-length films (e.g., Jurassic Park, The Shawshank Redemption)
• Capitalize all major words, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns
• Always capitalize the first word, even if it’s a minor word like ‘the’ or ‘a’
• Do not use quotation marks for standalone films unless your style guide requires it
• Use sentence-style capitalization only if the guide (like AP) instructs it
• Keep punctuation (like a colon or question mark in a title) as it appears in the original
• Double-check formatting against the correct style: APA, MLA, Chicago, or AP

How to Write Movie Titles in Different Styles

When writing about movies for school, you’ll need to follow a specific format, depending on the subject, since different fields use different styles. 

Below is a quick guide that shows how film titles are formatted in the four most common academic styles, using The Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as an example:

As you can see, MLA, APA, and Chicago all treat movie titles the same way: they italicize them. Only AP uses a different style: without italics and with quotation marks. 

If you want to make sure that your film review essay is authentic and original, here’s our free plagiarism checker to use.

Movie Titles in MLA

MLA style, coming from the Modern Language Association, is most often used in literature, writing, and the arts. You’ll come across it when analyzing books, films, and cultural topics. 

In MLA style, you write movie titles in italics and title case. That means you capitalize the important words but skip little ones like ‘and’ or ‘the’ unless they’re at the start.

Example in an essay: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone pulls readers into a magical world from the very first scene.

How to cite in Works Cited: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Directed by Chris Columbus, performances by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, Warner Bros., 2001.

Movie Titles in APA

APA (American Psychological Association) style is common in the social sciences, like psychology, education, and sociology. It focuses on dates, so readers can track the timeliness of sources. Citations use the author-date format, and sentence case is typically used for titles.

So, APA has its own way of doing things. You still use italics, but switch to sentence case only the first word and names get capitalized.

Example in a paper: Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone introduces themes of friendship and courage that run through the whole series.

How to cite in your reference list: Columbus, C. (Director). (2001). Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone [Film]. Warner Bros.

Movie Titles in Chicago

Chicago style has two systems: notes and bibliography (used in humanities) and author-date (used in sciences). Chicago is often the go-to for history papers and academic books, with detailed citation rules and bibliography formatting.

It’s pretty straightforward. Stick with italics and title case. This is the go-to style for many academic books and essays.

Example in text: The tone of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone shifts as Harry leaves the ordinary world behind.

How to cite in a bibliography: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Directed by Chris Columbus. Warner Bros., 2001.

Movie Titles in AP

Associated Press, known as AP, is built for journalism and media writing. It favors clarity, consistency, and speed. Unlike academic styles, AP avoids italics and uses quotation marks for most titles. The focus is on readability for general audiences, not detailed citations.

AP style movie titles are a little different. Instead of italics, use quotation marks around the title, and still use the title case.

Example in a news article: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” became a cultural phenomenon after its 2001 release.

How to mention the film in articles or features: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” directed by Chris Columbus, Warner Bros., 2001.

Writing Movie Titles in Special Situations

Not all movie titles in essays are simple to format. Some involve language barriers, long-running franchises, or casual mentions in dialogue. These situations still follow basic rules, but a few small differences can affect how you present them.

Below are some tips on writing movie titles correctly when you're dealing with foreign films, series entries, or titles that show up in speech.

Foreign Language Films

When writing film titles for movies in another language, always italicize the original title if it's commonly known. If the English translation is more familiar to your audience, use that version instead, but don’t use both unless your instructor asks. Capitalize the first and major words in either case. For example: La Vita è Bella or Life Is Beautiful. Stick with the title your readers are most likely to recognize.

Franchise or Series Titles

Film titles from franchises need consistent formatting, even when the naming gets complicated. You need to italicize the whole title, not just the franchise name. For example: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, not just Harry Potter. The same rule applies to sequels and prequels. If you're referring to the series as a whole, you can skip italics and keep it general: the Star Wars saga, the Marvel universe, etc.

Titles in Dialogue

When you include movie titles in essays through dialogue or direct quotes, the formatting rules stay the same. Keep the title italicized inside the quotation marks. For example: He said, ‘I watched The Godfather again last night.’ The italics show it’s a movie title, while the quotation marks show it’s part of spoken text. If you're quoting someone casually referring to a film, keep that structure easy to follow.

Writing an essay and can’t think about what the title should be? See our title examples for inspiration.

Rolling the Credits

Before you go, let’s quickly revisit what matters most when writing titles.

• Use quotation marks only for short works (like TV episodes or short films).
• Follow the specific guidelines of MLA, APA, Chicago, or AP style.
• Be mindful of exceptions like foreign titles, franchises, and titles in dialogue.
• Keep titles accurate. Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are important.

If you ever need help writing your paper, whether it’s about cinematography or literature, know that EssayPro’s writers have got you covered.

FAQs