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''Empire'' is a British
film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...
published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. The first issue was published in May 1989.


History

David Hepworth David Hepworth (born 27 July 1950) is a British music journalist, writer and publishing industry analyst who was instrumental in the foundation of a number of popular magazines in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Along with the journalist, editor and b ...
of
Emap Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Rich ...
, the publisher of British music magazines '' Q'' and ''
Smash Hits ''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 ...
'', among other titles, came up with the idea to publish a magazine similar to ''Q'', but for films. They recruited ''Smash Hits'' editor Barry McIlheney to edit the new magazine, with Hepworth as Editorial Director. 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. It also said that "''Empire'' believes that movies can sometimes be art, but they should always be fun." 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. Film reviews were given a star rating between 1 and 5, with no half stars. 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. 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'' Features Editor Mark Salisbury promoted to Editor. A compilation of their film reviews was published in 2006 as the ''Empire Film Guide''. 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 on 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. * Morgan Rees (issues 306–315) *
Terri White Terri White is an American actress and singer. Career The daughter of traveling musicians Bill White and Gertrude Hughes, White has appeared in '' Nunsense 2: The Sequel'' (1994), '' Ain't Misbehavin (1978), '' Barnum'' (1980), '' Welcome to ...
(issues 318—393) * Nick De Semlyen (beginning with issue 394) *
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...
guest-edited the magazine's 20th Anniversary Issue in June 2009. *
Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was knighted in the 2020 New Years Honours List. That s ...
guest-edited the magazine's ''
Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and wri ...
'' special in September 2015.


Regular features

''Empire'' reviews both mainstream films and
art film An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...
s, 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 ''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, and Eva Marie Saint in her film debut. ...
''. 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. ''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). 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 ''Raging Bull'' is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, produced by Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler and adapted by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin from Jake LaMotta's 1970 memoir '' Raging Bull: M ...
'' featured in issue 167 (May 2003), the Empire Masterpiece is a two-page essay on a film selected by Empire in the ''Re.View'' section. The selection of the films seem to be quite random and follow 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 Frank Árpád Darabont (born Ferenc Árpád Darabont, January 28, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In his early career, he was primarily a ...
select 223 masterpieces. ''
L.A. Confidential ''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy and the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"—Steve Erickson. Plot The s ...
'' and ''
Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...
'' have been featured twice.


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 Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the '' Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards ...
and John Savage. ''My Movie Mastermind'' was another regular in which a celebrity was given questions about the films they were in or they directed. Celebrities range from
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
and
Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultim ...
(who were at the top of the scoreboard) to
John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...
and Michael Keaton (who were at the bottom of the scoreboard). The feature first appeared in issue 212 (February 2007) with
Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam (; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker, comedian, animator, actor and former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam has directed 13 feature films, including '' Time Bandits'' (1981), '' ...
.


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.


The Directors Collection

In 2001, ''Empire'' published a special issue on
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...
as part of The Directors Collection.


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 Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...
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 top 18-rated moments in film. They also selected the 50 greatest films rated with an 18 certificate.


Readers' top films

''Empire'' occasionally poll readers to find out what their favourite films are. A poll of ''Empire'' readers was published in September 2001 and listed ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' (1977) as the greatest movie of all time. 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 film makers 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 ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caa ...
'' (1972) and the list's most represented director was
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...
, who had eleven films in the top 500. 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 ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a stor ...
'' (1980).


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''. 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''.


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 Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...
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 The Narrator is a fictional character and the primary antagonist appearing as the central figure of the 1996 Chuck Palahniuk novel ''Fight Club'', its 1999 film adaptation of the same name, and the comic books '' Fight Club 2'' and '' Fight C ...
from '' Fight Club'' (1999) listed first. In June 2015, ''Empires readers named the greatest film characters of all time led by
Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...
.


Podcasts

''Empire'' launched their first
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
, ''The Empire Podcast'', in March 2012. The
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
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 Terri White is an American actress and singer. Career The daughter of traveling musicians Bill White and Gertrude Hughes, White has appeared in '' Nunsense 2: The Sequel'' (1994), '' Ain't Misbehavin (1978), '' Barnum'' (1980), '' Welcome to ...
. The podcasts features 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. In September 2018, ''Empire'' launched a second podcast focussed on television shows, called ''The Pilot TV Podcast''. It is hosted by James Dyer,
Terri White Terri White is an American actress and singer. Career The daughter of traveling musicians Bill White and Gertrude Hughes, White has appeared in '' Nunsense 2: The Sequel'' (1994), '' Ain't Misbehavin (1978), '' Barnum'' (1980), '' Welcome to ...
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.


Awards

From 1996, ''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. The last awards were held in 2018.


See also

* List of film periodicals * ''
Cahiers du cinéma ''Cahiers du Cinéma'' (, ) is a French film magazine co-founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca.Itzkoff, Dave (9 February 2009''Cahiers Du Cinéma Will Continue to Publish''The New York TimesMacnab ...
'' * '' Sight & Sound'' * ''The Film Daily'' annual critics' poll


References


External links

* – official site * {{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Magazines established in 1989 Film magazines published in the United Kingdom Bauer Group (UK) Empire Awards Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom 1989 establishments in the United Kingdom Top film lists Magazines published in London