Empire (magazine)

Last updated

Empire
Empire (magazine) logo.svg
Empire cover Harry Potter July 2011.jpg
July 2011 cover of Empire, featuring (left to right) Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint
EditorNick de Semlyen
CategoriesFilm
FrequencyMonthly
Circulation 73,291 per issue (Jan – Dec 2023) [1]
Print and digital editions.
First issueMay 1989;35 years ago (1989-05)
Company Bauer Media Group
CountryUnited Kingdom
Based inLondon
LanguageEnglish
Website empireonline.com
ISSN 0957-4948

Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Media Group. The first issue was published in May 1989.

Contents

History

David Hepworth of Emap, the publisher of British music magazines Q and Smash Hits , among other titles, came up with the idea to publish a magazine similar to Q, but for films. [2] [3] They recruited Smash Hits editor Barry McIlheney to edit the new magazine, with Hepworth as Editorial Director. [3] Hepworth produced a one-page document of what he wanted to achieve. Among them, they planned to review and rate every film that was released in the cinema in the United Kingdom. [3] It also said that "Empire believes that movies can sometimes be art, but they should always be fun." [2] The first edition (June/July 1989) was published in May 1989 with Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder on the front cover from the film Great Balls of Fire! . The first issue reached its target of 50,000 copies sold. [3]

Film reviews were given a star rating between 1 and 5, with no half-stars. [4]

McIlheney edited the first 44 issues, with assistant editor Phil Thomas, who had been working on the magazine since it started, taking over from the March 1993 issue. [2] Thomas became managing editor in 1995 with Q Features Editor Andrew Collins taking over as Empire editor from issue 73 (July 1995); however, after 3 issues, he became editor of Q after Danny Kelly left, with Empire's Features Editor Mark Salisbury promoted to Editor. [5]

A compilation of their film reviews was published in 2006 as the Empire Film Guide. [4]

Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008.

Editors

Empire has had eleven editors:

  • Barry McIlheney (issues 1–44)
  • Phil Thomas (issues 45–72)
  • Andrew Collins (issues 73–75)
  • Mark Salisbury (issues 76–88)
  • Ian Nathan (issues 89–126)
  • Emma Cochrane (issues 127–161)
  • Colin Kennedy (162–209) (Will Lawrence acted as editor for 12 issues while Colin Kennedy was absent)
  • Mark Dinning (210–304). Dinning was formerly Associate Editor of the magazine leaving to take up the position of Editor of Total Film for a period, he then returned to take up the same role for Empire. He left the magazine in July 2014. [6]
  • Morgan Rees (issues 306–315)
  • Terri White (issues 318—393) [7]
  • Nick De Semlyen (since issue 394) [8]

Regular features

Empire reviews both mainstream films and art films, but feature articles concentrate on the former. Ian Freer is a regular reviewer for the magazine.

As well as film news, previews, and reviews, Empire has some other regular features. Each issue (with the exception of issues 108–113) features a Classic Scene, a transcript from a notable film scene. The first such classic scene to be featured was the "I coulda been a contender" scene from On the Waterfront . [11]

The Re.View section covers Blu-ray and DVD news and releases. Kim Newman's Movie Dungeon is a regular feature in the Re.View section, in which critic Kim Newman reviews the most obscure releases, mostly low-budget horror movies. Newman has written for Empire since the first issue. [4]

How Much Is A Pint of Milk? presents celebrities' answers to silly or unusual questions, including the question "How much is a pint of milk?" This is intended as a guide to the chosen celebrity's contact with reality, and as such can be more informative than a direct interview by reporting some surprising responses. Willem Dafoe was the first interviewee in issue 59 (May 1994). [11]

Each magazine includes a "Spine Quote", in which a relatively challenging quote is printed on the spine of the magazine. There are usually some obvious and obscure links from the quote to the main features of that month's edition. Readers are invited to identify the film source and the links to win a prize.

The Empire Masterpiece

A regular feature since Raging Bull featured in issue 167 (May 2003), [11] the Empire Masterpiece is a two-page essay on a film selected by Empire in the Re.View section. The selection of the films seems to be quite random and follows no specific pattern. Only a few issues since the first masterpiece feature have not featured one – 179, 196–198 and 246. Issue 241 (June 2009) had director Frank Darabont select 223 masterpieces. [11] [12] L.A. Confidential and Magnolia have been featured twice.[ citation needed ]

Former features

Where Are They Now? featuring past film celebrities and updating on their current professional and personal status first appeared in issue 28 (October 1991) featuring Mark Hamill and John Savage. [11]

My Movie Mastermind was another regular in which a celebrity was given questions about the films they were in or directed. Celebrities range from Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Lee (who were at the top of the scoreboard) to John Carpenter and Michael Keaton (who were at the bottom of the scoreboard). The feature first appeared in issue 212 (February 2007) with Terry Gilliam. [11]

Editorial policy

Empire receives a fee for promoting certain shows and movies. [13]

In an interview given in 2014, its former editor-in-chief Mark Dinning said that he had once encouraged a reviewer to give five out of five stars to the second Star Wars prequel, Attack of the Clones, which has since been revised to three stars. [14]

Special editions

Genre guides

In 2001, Empire published a series of guides to the best films by genre including science fiction, horror, crime, action, and comedy. [15]

The Directors Collection

In 2001, Empire published a special issue on Steven Spielberg as part of The Directors Collection. [16]

Fifteenth anniversary

Empire published a special 15th anniversary issue in June 2004 by which time the magazine had reviewed 4,240 theatrical films. Nicole Kidman was named "actress of our lifetime" and Kevin Spacey was named "actor of our lifetime". A list of the 15 most influential films of the preceding 15 years was featured.

Eighteenth anniversary

As part of its 18th birthday issue published in June 2007 Empire published a list of the top 18-rated moments in film. They also selected the 50 greatest films rated with an 18 certificate.[ citation needed ]

Readers' top films

Empire occasionally polls readers to find out what their favourite films are.

A poll of Empire readers was published in September 2001 and listed Star Wars (1977) as the greatest movie of all time. [17]

In March 2006, a readers' poll of The 201 Greatest Movies of All Time had The Shawshank Redemption (1994) as the number one choice.

The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time

The list was selected in September 2008 by over 10,000 Empire readers, 150 filmmakers, and 50 film critics. The list was accompanied by many different covers, each of which went on sale. The list was topped by The Godfather (1972) and the list's most represented director was Steven Spielberg, who had eleven films in the top 500. [18]

In July 2014, during their 25th anniversary year, a readers' poll of The 301 Greatest Movies of All Time was topped by The Empire Strikes Back (1980). [19]

The 100 Greatest Movies

In 2017, Empire surveyed five thousand readers to produce a list of the 100 greatest films ever made which was once again topped by The Godfather. [20]

In 2021, they combined reader votes with Empire critics "choices" to create a top 100 list topped by The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring . [21]

Other polls

Readers' top directors

In June 2005, a poll of 10,000 readers was asked to name the greatest film director of all time. In a list of forty directors, Steven Spielberg was granted the honour of greatest director.

Readers' top characters

A poll of Empire readers was conducted in 2008 to create a list of the 100 greatest movie characters, with Tyler Durden from Fight Club (1999) listed first. [22]

In June 2015, Empire's readers named the greatest film characters of all time led by Indiana Jones. [23]

Podcasts

Empire launched their first podcast, The Empire Podcast, in March 2012. [24] The podcast is released weekly and is hosted by Chris Hewitt, alongside Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, as well as regularly featuring other Empire journalists such as Amon Warmann, Ben Travis and Terri White. The podcasts feature film news, listener questions, interviews, and reviews, as well as regularly having 'Spoiler Specials' which take an in-depth look at a single film, including plot spoilers. Many of these episodes are included on a separate subscription-only feed that costs £2.99 per month. [25]

In September 2018, Empire launched a second podcast focused on television shows, called The Pilot TV Podcast. It is hosted by James Dyer, Terri White and Boyd Hilton.

In July 2022, the podcast won in the "Best Live Podcast" category at the British Podcast Awards following a live episode held in Kings Place, London to celebrate the podcast’s 500th episode that included returning favourites of lethal cunning, as well as guests such as Brett Goldstein, Tom Holland and Johnny Knoxville. [26] [27]

Awards

From 1996 until 2018, Empire organised the annual Empire Awards, voted for by readers of the magazine, which were originally sponsored by Sony Ericsson, and from 2009 sponsored by Jameson. [28] The last awards were held in 2018 and after that the awards were discontinued for undisclosed reasons.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Raging Bull</i> 1980 film directed by Martin Scorsese

Raging Bull is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Theresa Saldana, Frank Vincent, and Nicholas Colasanto in his final film role. The film is an adaptation of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta's 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story. It follows the career of LaMotta, played by De Niro, his rise and fall in the boxing scene, and his turbulent personal life beset by rage and jealousy.

<i>Saving Private Ryan</i> 1998 film by Steven Spielberg

Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in Normandy, France, during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller, on a mission to locate Private James Francis Ryan and bring him home safely after his three brothers have been killed in action. The cast also includes Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg and Jeremy Davies.

<i>The Shawshank Redemption</i> 1994 film by Frank Darabont

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American prison drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The film tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne, who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murders of his wife and her lover, despite his claims of innocence. Over the following two decades, he befriends a fellow prisoner, contraband smuggler Ellis "Red" Redding, and becomes instrumental in a money laundering operation led by the prison warden Samuel Norton. William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, and James Whitmore appear in supporting roles.

<i>E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial</i> 1982 film directed by Steven Spielberg

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed E.T., who is left behind on Earth. Along with his friends and family, Elliott must find a way to help E.T. find his way home. The film stars Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore.

<i>Jaws</i> (film) 1975 thriller film by Steven Spielberg

Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley. It stars Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, who, with the help of a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter, hunts a man-eating great white shark that attacks beachgoers at a summer resort town. Murray Hamilton plays the mayor, and Lorraine Gary portrays Brody's wife. The screenplay is credited to Benchley, who wrote the first drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the script during principal photography.

<i>Minority Report</i> (film) 2002 film by Steven Spielberg

Minority Report is a 2002 American cyberpunk action film directed by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on Philip K. Dick's 1956 novella "The Minority Report". The film takes place in the Washington metropolitan area in 2054, in which a specialized police department—Precrime—apprehends criminals by use of foreknowledge provided by three psychics called "precogs". The cast stars Tom Cruise as Precrime chief John Anderton, Colin Farrell as Department of Justice agent Danny Witwer, Samantha Morton as precog Agatha Lively, and Max von Sydow as Precrime director Lamar Burgess. The film combines elements of tech noir, whodunit, thriller, and science fiction genres, as well as being a traditional chase film, since the main protagonist is accused of a crime he has not committed and becomes a fugitive. Spielberg characterized the story as "fifty percent character and fifty percent very complicated storytelling with layers and layers of murder mystery and plot".

<i>Duel</i> (1971 film) 1971 action thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg

Duel is a 1971 American road action-thriller television film directed by Steven Spielberg. It centers on a traveling salesman David Mann driving his car through rural California to meet a client. However, he finds himself chased and terrorized by the mostly unseen driver of a semi-truck. The screenplay by Richard Matheson adapts his own short story of the same name, published in the April 1971 issue of Playboy, and based on an encounter on November 22, 1963, when a trucker dangerously cut him off on a California freeway.

<i>Entertainment Weekly</i> American digital magazine

Entertainment Weekly is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular culture. The print magazine debuted on February 16, 1990, in New York City, and ceased publication in 2022.

Michael Kahn is an American film editor known for his frequent collaboration with Steven Spielberg. His first collaboration with Spielberg was for his 1977 film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He has edited all of Spielberg's subsequent films except for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), which was edited by Carol Littleton. Kahn has received eight Academy Award nominations for Best Film Editing, and has won three times—for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Schindler's List (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998), which were all Spielberg-directed films.

Sight and Sound is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial Sight and Sound Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time.

<i>Fangoria</i> American horror film fan magazine

Fangoria is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr.

<i>Smash Hits</i> British music magazine, 1978 to 2006

Smash Hits was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand for a spin-off digital television channel, which was later renamed Box Hits, and website. A digital radio station was also available but closed on 5 August 2013.

<i>SFX</i> (magazine) Science fiction/fantasy magazine

SFX is a British magazine covering the topics of science fiction and fantasy. Its name is a reference to the abbreviated form of "special effects".

<i>Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull</i> 2008 film directed by Steven Spielberg

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a 2008 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp, based on a story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson. It is the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones film series and a sequel to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Set in 1957, it pits Indiana Jones against Soviet KGB agents led by Irina Spalko searching for a telepathic crystal skull located in Peru. Jones is aided by his former lover, Marion Ravenwood, and their son, Mutt Williams. Ray Winstone, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent are also part of the supporting cast.

<i>Heat</i> (magazine) Entertainment magazine in the UK

Heat is an English entertainment magazine published by Bauer Media Group. Its mix of celebrity news, gossip, beauty advice and fashion is primarily aimed at women, although not as directly as in other women's magazines. It also features movie and music reviews, TV listings and major celebrity interviews.

<i>Première</i> (magazine) French film magazine, founded 1976

Première is a French film magazine based in Paris and published by Hachette Filipacchi since 1976. Editions are, or have been, published in other markets.

<i>Neon</i> (magazine) British film magazine

Neon was a British film magazine published monthly by EMAP from December 1996 to February 1999. It attempted to be a refreshing alternative to other UK film magazines such as Sight & Sound and was seen as the movie version of Select magazine as Empire was originally to Q.

Ian Freer is a British non-fiction author, film magazine editor and newspaper writer who has written several books relating to films.

<i>The Word</i> (UK magazine) Music magazine

The Word was a monthly music magazine published in London. It was voted UK 'Music Magazine Of The Year' in 2007 and 2008. It ran for 114 issues, the last bearing the cover date August 2012.

References

  1. ↑ "ABC Certificates and Reports: Empire". Audit Bureau of Circulations, (ABC). Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Thomas, Phil (2009). "Editors: Phil Thomas". Inside Empire. pp. 22–24.
  3. 1 2 3 4 McIlheney, Barry (2009). "Editors: Barry McIlheney". Inside Empire. pp. 8–10.
  4. 1 2 3 Newman, Kim (2009). "How Would You Rate This Column?". Inside Empire. pp. 84–85.
  5. ↑ Collins, Andrew (2009). "Editors: Andrew Collins". Inside Empire. pp. 38–40.
  6. ↑ Turvill, William (24 July 2014). "Empire editor-in-chief steps down to join Time Out Dubai after eight years". Press Gazette . Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  7. ↑ Turvill, William (2 September 2015). "Time Out New York editor-in-chief Terri White to take charge of Empire". Press Gazette . Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  8. ↑ "Terri White: 'If I hadn't had my baby I would still be editing Empire now'". Press Gazette .
  9. ↑ Helen O'Hara (5 February 2009). "Steven Spielberg To Guest-Edit Empire!". Empire. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  10. ↑ "Empire's 20th Anniversary Edition". Empire Magazine. 6 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Empire Index". Inside Empire. 2009. pp. 126–130.
  12. ↑ Darabont, Frank (15 May 2009). "Frank Darabont's Greatest Movies of All Time". Empire (241). Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  13. ↑ "About Us". Empire. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  14. ↑ "Empire's Mark Dinning: 'I sound like a Bond villain, I should be stroking a cat'". The Guardian. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  15. ↑ Cochrane, Emma (2001). "Editor's Letter". Empire (The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Ever ed.). p. 6.
  16. ↑ "Steven Spielberg". Empire (The Directors Collection ed.). 2001.
  17. ↑ "Star Wars' triumph in best movie poll". BBC News. London. 23 September 2001. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  18. ↑ "Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Empireonline.com. 23 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "The 301 Greatest Movies of All Time". Empire. No. 301. July 2014. pp. 67–115.
  20. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Movies". Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  21. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Movies". 23 January 2023.
  22. ↑ Sciretta, Peter (1 December 2008). "Empire's The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time". SlashFilm. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  23. ↑ "The Greatest Movie Characters of All Time". Empire. 29 June 2015. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  24. ↑ Podcast, The Empire Film. "The Empire Film Podcast". Google Podcasts. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  25. ↑ "Sign Up To The Empire Spoiler Special Film Podcast". Empire. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  26. ↑ White, James (24 July 2022). "Empire Podcast Wins British Podcast Awards Best Live Podcast". Empire. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024.
  27. ↑ "#500 — Tom Holland, Joanna Hogg & Harris Dickinson, Brett Goldstein, Rachel Zegler, Kate Herron, Johnny Knoxville". The Empire Film Podcast. GoLoud. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023.
  28. ↑ "The Jameson Empire Awards 2009". Empireonline.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.