In the title molecule, C18H13BrO2, the anthracene unit forms an angle of 46.91 (2)° with the mean plane of the methyl acrylate moiety. In the crystal, the molecules arrange themselves into strands parallel to [010] and, due to the crystal symmetry, there are eight strands crossing the unit cell. In each strand, molecules form short C - H...O and C - H...π contacts and have their anthracene groups parallel to each other. Neighboring strands, related by a c-glide operation, are connected via C - H...O interactions and form a layer parallel to (100). The arrangement of the acrylate and anthracene groups in the crystal do not allow for [2 + 2] or [4 + 4] cycloaddition.