Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Media Group. The first issue was published in May 1989.
History
David Hepworth of Emap, the publisher of British music magazines Q and Smash Hits, proposed the idea of launching a film magazine similar to Q.
Film reviews were given a star rating between 1 and 5, with no half-stars.
In 2006, a compilation of the magazine's film reviews was published as the Empire Film Guide.
- Morgan Rees (issues 306–315)
- Terri White (issues 318—393)
- Nick De Semlyen (since issue 394)
- Steven Spielberg guest-edited the magazine's 20th Anniversary Issue in June 2009.
- Sam Mendes guest-edited the magazine's Spectre special in September 2015.
Regular features
<!-- Commented out: thumb|left|The first edition of Empire, July 1989 -->
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.
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). L.A. Confidential and Magnolia have been featured twice.
Podcasts
Empire launched their first podcast, The Empire Podcast, in March 2012. In July 2022, the podcast won in the "Best Live Podcast" category at the British Podcast Awards.
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. The last awards were held in 2018 and after that the awards were discontinued for undisclosed reasons.
See also
- List of film periodicals
- Cahiers du Cinéma
- Sight & Sound
- The Film Daily annual critics' poll