Case Study of Empire Film Magazine

Empire is the largest selling film magazine and the second biggest selling men’s magazine in the UK. Empire is a British magazine which is published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. Empire magazine is also published in the United States, Australia, Turkey, Russia and Portugal. The magazines first issue was published in July 1989; the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. After 19 years, Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008. Empire organizes the annual Empire Awards which were sponsored by Sony Ericsson. From 2009, Jameson, the popular Irish whiskey, began sponsoring the Empire Awards. The awards are voted by readers of the magazine.

The annual Empire Awards have been held since 1995, the UK’s premier movie honours that are voted for by the movie-going public. Since 2009 this prestigious event has been sponsored by Jameson, a brand with strong associations with film across international markets (Dublin Film Festival, Tribeca etc.)

“This is a very special award because it isn’t political. There is no agenda, it’s just movie fans, and I will cherish this” Gary Oldman, Best Actor, Empire Awards 2012

“Thanks to Jameson and Empire, I can now be a hero for one day, like David Bowie” Jude Law, Empire Hero, Empire Awards 2010

At the start of the magazine, Empire takes readers on to the most exciting movie sets around the world, giving the audience an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at some of the most exciting movies being made today.

Empire shows the power of its name with exclusive access to actors and directors. With features on the latest releases, Empire also focuses on the stories that film lovers want told, for example, overlooked stories from the history of cinema and film making.

Every issue features an exclusive interview with an A list star, talking about their film history past, present and future. Stars from Charlize Theron and Keira Knightley to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris Hemsworth. Empire reader’s get an insight into celebrities’ world.

The heart of the magazine, reviews! Each issue, featuring all the latest theatrical reviews for the upcoming month. One of the main reasons readers buy the magazine month in, month out, is to read others opinions and to find out if the film is worth watching or a complete waste of time.

Empire magazine is the definitive for people who love the movies. They have access to all areas, gaining behind-the-scenes news + exclusive interviews with the stars.  Plus they deliver the most comprehensive reviews on new films, DVD’s, Blu-rays, games, books, film soundtracks and home hardware. Due to their success, Empire has over 57,000 subscribers.

The readership of Empire Magazine is about 835,000, the median age of buyers is 31 and 75 males/ 25 females (results from April-September 2012). The magazine dominates the UK film market with over 70% circulation share, outselling its nearest competitor by almost 100,000 copies.

“Empire is the best movie magazine in the world. Bar none. Quite simply, it’s peerless.” Said Steven Spielberg, famous director and guest-edited the magazine’s 20^th Anniversary Issue in June 2009.

Empire magazine online includes a daily quiz for readers, the latest movie news, blogs from writers, reviews on films, future film releases, features (which are mainly questions from readers which are being answered), interviews with actors, directors and producers, images from films and events, giveaways from competitions, a forum, an iPad app and Podcasts made for those who are blind or who are hard of reading.

2.3 million unique users which includes: 98,192 email subscribers, 87,000 Facebook fans, 143,000 twitter followers and 16,000 Podcast downloads of Empire magazine (All stats from November 2012).

In 2014, Empire magazine launched an iPad app which incorporates the magazine pages and links to trailers, behind-the-scenes video, screensavers, galleries and more. ‘Empire, The World's Biggest Movie Magazine just got bigger with the launch of Empire U.S. counting filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Peter Jackson among its readers. Quentin Tarantino best summed it up when he said: "Movies are my religion and Empire is my church." This brand-new U.S. iPad edition combines Empire's world-class editorial with embedded trailers, video and exclusive content tailored to U.S. movie fans.’ (An advert on their website)

The constant quest to deliver the best movie coverage is underscored

by amazing relationships between Empire and the biggest filmmakers in the world:

Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson and JJ Abrams.

This international domination – outselling all its rivals globally by an average of 2 to 1 – is down to Empire’s continued commitment.

“I’ve always known that when I open Empire magazine I’ll find a witty and thoughtful view of what’s going on in this business” Said Colin Firth.

In total, Empire has had eight 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) and finally Mark Dinning (210 –present). Dinning was formerly Associate Editor on the magazine, but left to take up the position of Editor of Total Film for a period, he then returned to take up the same role for Empire.