There are fewer print film magazines than there used to be, but they haven’t disappeared, they’ve just narrowed into a mix of legacy titles, independent publications, and a handful of newer entrants trying to carve out their own space. The most visible in the UK is still Empire, launched in 1989 and still active in print. Alongside that, Sight & Sound, which dates back to 1932, continues as one of the most respected film publications, leaning more into criticism and global cinema. Little White Lies, founded in 2005, remains active as a design led bi monthly magazine, while Film Stories, launched in 2018, represents a newer independent approach focused more on production stories and industry insight than traditional reviewing. Outside of pure film titles, magazines like SFX still cover film through sci fi and genre, and specialist publications such as American Cinematographer remain in print, although aimed more at the craft side of filmmaking.
At the same time, the space has clearly shrunk. Total Film, which was one of the key UK print magazines, ended its print run in 2024. Alongside the remaining titles, there are also smaller and newer independent publications appearing outside traditional distribution. Cine Couture is one of these, positioned as a newer independent magazine that focuses on fashion within film alongside some review content.
Looking further back, the print film magazine space used to be significantly larger. Photoplay, launched in 1911, was one of the first major film magazines and ran until 1980, helping define early film journalism and celebrity coverage. Film Quarterly, founded in 1958, is still active today, although it sits more in the academic space and is less likely to appear in high street retailers. Other titles like *Picturegoer* and *Picture Play* dominated earlier decades before disappearing as the industry shifted, while genre publications such as *Cinefantastique* ran from 1967 until 2006 before moving away from print.
Gone are the days where people might imagine sitting in a small town, waiting eagerly for the latest issue of Photoplay, first published in 1911, arriving as one of the only sources of film news and insight. It came in a clean, contained format, without the constant noise and over-saturation of information that exists now. There’s something quite interesting in that shift, from a single curated magazine to an endless stream of content, and what that does to how we take in and value film coverage.