The 30 covers – a different one for each year of publication from 1989 to 2018 - feature Empire’s pick of the 30 iconic films of the last three decades.
The 30 covers celebrate many masterpieces, including blockbusters and indies, that have joined the movie pantheon during Empire’s lifetime, say the publishers. Over 30 pages of the magazine feature these film favourites, chosen by the team at Empire for a mixture of commercial success, cinematic significance, cultural significance and impact on the Empire audience. Empire has interviewed those who made the films afresh and dug out from the archives the magazine’s original interviews and set visits from the time they were first featured.
Commenting on the 30th Anniversary covers, Editor-in-chief Terri White said: “How do you sum up 30 years of cinema and 30 years of Empire? It turns out it took several rows, a few sulks and the odd impassioned plea for the Empire team to agree on the 30 films that should grace our covers – just one from each year. Even at a glance, it’s a story of how film has evolved, starting with Tim Burton’s Batman journeying through Toy Story, The Matrix, Spirited Away, Avatar, Gravity and ending on Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther. What a 30 years it’s been, for both us and for cinema.”
The full list of covers:
1989 – Batman
1990 - Goodfellas
1991 – Terminator 2
1992 – Reservoir Dogs
1993 – Jurassic Park
1994 – Shawshank Redemption
1995 – Toy Story
1996 – Scream
1997 – Titanic
1998 – Blade
1999 – The Matrix
2000 – American Psycho
2001 – Fellowship Of The Ring
2002 – Spirited Away
2003 – Lost in Translation
2004 – Shaun Of The Dead
2005 – Brokeback Mountain
2006 – Pans Labyrinth
2007 – No County for Old Men
2008 – The Dark Knight
2009 - Avatar
2010 – Inception
2011 – Bridesmaids
2012 – Avengers Assemble
2013 – Gravity
2014 – Whiplash
2015 – Mad Max Fury Road
2016 – Moonlight
2017 – Get Out
2018 – Black Panther
Subscribers to Empire had the chance to vote for their favourite cover, and they voted overwhelmingly for The Shawshank Redemption.
The birthday September issues featuring all 30 covers will be available on newsstand from Thursday 8 August but film fans who can’t wait will be able to buy their favourite issues priced £4.99 each via Great Magazines from Friday 2 August. Readers wanting to collect multiple covers will be able to get 25% off the cover price if they purchase five or more issues.
Empire has been celebrating its 30th birthday since January when it announced its list of the 30 Most Adventurous Filmmakers Of Our Lifetime comprised of men and women who have taken risks, made incredible cinema and been vital in evolving the medium of film. The magazine has already celebrated legendary filmakers James Cameron, Edgar Wright, Jordan Peele, Quentin Tarantino, Taika Waititi, Danny Boyle, Christopher McQuarrie and Peter Jackson with more greats set to feature each month until the end of the birthday year, says Bauer Media.
