Pre-9/11 film promotional materials, particularly theatrical release posters and home video packaging, often featured the New York City skyline, with the World Trade Center towers frequently serving as a readily identifiable landmark. These artifacts offer a glimpse into how the towers were perceived and utilized within popular culture before their destruction. A VHS cassette of “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” for example, showcases the towers prominently on its cover.
These items hold significant historical and cultural value. They serve as a visual record of a lost cityscape and offer insight into pre-9/11 marketing strategies in the film industry. Studying these materials can reveal how the towers were viewed, not just as architectural structures, but as symbols of American prosperity and global commerce. The destruction of the towers imbued these once commonplace items with a poignant and often unintended meaning, transforming them into historical artifacts.