''Première'' is a French film magazine based in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and published by
Hachette Filipacchi since 1976. Editions are, or have been, published in other markets.
History
The French film magazine ''Première'' was launched in November 1976 by Jean-Pierre Frimbois and
Marc Esposito and originally published by the
Lagardère Group
Lagardère S.A. () is an international group with operations in over 40 countries. Based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the group was founded and created in 1992 by Jean-Luc Lagardère under the name Matra, Hachette & Lagardère.
Headed ...
. Since 2016, it has been published by Hildegarde.
US edition
The U.S. version of the magazine was launched by
News Corporation
The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Ru ...
, based in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, with its July/August 1987 edition. Their mission was to "reflect The Second Golden Age of the Movies".
Susan Lyne was the founding editor, and among those working for the magazine was
Peter Biskind, who spent a decade at the magazine as executive editor. He said that, early on, the magazine "gave us a lot of freedom to do hard-hitting, in-depth reporting."
Critic
Glenn Kenny joined the US staff in June 1996, and served as a critic and later as senior editor until it ceased publication.
News Corporation sold the magazine to
K-III in 1991, and
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. reacquired the magazine, on behalf of the founding French publisher, in 1995. After Lyne left the magazine,
Chris Connelly became editor-in-chief in early 1996, while Nancy Griffin served as deputy editor. Both editors resigned suddenly in May of the same year after publisher Hachette Filipacchi's then president and chief executive,
David Pecker, told Connelly not to publish a column about
Planet Hollywood because of its ties to billionaire
Revlon owner
Ronald Perelman
Ronald Owen Perelman (; born January 1, 1943) is an American banker, businessman, investor, and philanthropist. MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, his company, has invested in companies with interests in groceries, cigars, licorice, makeup, ca ...
, who was also half-owner of ''Premiere''.
James B. Meigs was listed as the editor-in-chief from the August 1996 issue.
''Premiere's'' editor, Peter Herbst, was appointed senior vice president and group editorial director for Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2002. From 1995 to 2000, Herbst was editor-in-chief of ''
Family Life'' magazine.
End of U.S. edition
On March 5, 2007, publisher Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. announced that it was shutting down the U.S. print edition of ''Premiere'' and that the magazine would survive as an online-only publication.
The last published issue was dated April 2007, with
Will Ferrell on its cover; Ferrell is shown in character from his role for his just-released film, ''
Blades of Glory''.
The online version only lasted for a few years, and
Other international editions
Japan
A Japanese edition and
UK
In September 1992, a UK edition was released, published by
Emap
Ascential (formerly EMAP) was a British-headquartered global company, specialising in events, intelligence and advisory services for the marketing and financial technology industries. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was ac ...
Metro and edited by
Barry McIlheney for 5 years until its closure in 1997.
The February 1998 U.S. edition published in the United Kingdom incorporated a special UK film section. By the October 1998 edition, this was published as a separate supplement but had ceased by January 1999.
Other European editions
A Russian edition of the magazine was last published in December 2004.
, in addition to the original edition in France, editions were being published in Czech Republic, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
References
External links
* (French)
The Site of Movie MagazinesCovers for all 230+ issues.
{{Authority control
Film magazines published in France
Magazines published in Paris
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Film magazines published in the United States
Monthly magazines published in the United States
Magazines published in New York City
Lagardère Active
Magazines established in 1976
Magazines established in 1987
Magazines disestablished in 2007
Magazines disestablished in 2009
Film magazines published in Russia