Première (magazine)

The French film magazine Première was launched in November 1976 by Jean-Pierre Frimbois and Marc Esposito and originally published by the Lagardère Group. Since 2016, it has been published by Hildegarde.

The U.S. version of the magazine was launched by News Corporation, based in New York City and Los Angeles, with its July/August 1987 edition. Their mission was to "reflect The Second Golden Age of the Movies".{{cite magazine |magazine=Premiere |date=Autumn 1992 |pages=70–79 |title=The Very Best of Premiere}}{{Primary source inline|date=November 2024}} 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."{{cite news |last=Welkos |first=Robert W. |title=From 'it' read to has-been |work=Los Angeles Times |department=Entertainment & Arts |date=March 10, 2007 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-mar-10-et-premiere10-story.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717180247/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-mar-10-et-premiere10-story.html |archive-date=2024-07-17 |url-status=live}}

Critic Glenn Kenny joined the US staff in June 1996,{{cite web |first=Glenn |last=Kenny |subject-link=Glenn Kenny |interviewer=Aaron Aradillas |title=The only looming boy in New York City {{!}} An Interview With Glenn Kenny |website=rockcritics.com |url=http://rockcriticsarchives.com/interviews/glennkenny/01.html |access-date=2024-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531090001/http://rockcriticsarchives.com/interviews/glennkenny/01.html |archive-date=2008-05-31 |url-status=dead |quote=Joining Premiere magazine in 1996 as an editor and shortly thereafter becoming the lead movie critic...}} 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, who was also half-owner of Premiere.{{cite news |first=Robin |last=Pogrebin |title=Once a Renegade, Hachette Magazine Chief Gains Respect |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 6, 1998 |page=D1 |quote=Mr. Pecker... killed an article for... Ronald O. Perelman, then a co-owner of the magazine. The article was to examine the business dealings of the actor Sylvester Stallone, including his role in the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain. Perelman was planning a venture with the restaurant at the time. Premiere's two top editors resigned over the incident.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/06/business/once-a-renegade-hachette-magazine-chief-gains-respect.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129154735/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/06/business/once-a-renegade-hachette-magazine-chief-gains-respect.html |archive-date=2022-11-29 |url-status=live}} James B. Meigs was listed as the editor-in-chief from the August 1996 issue.{{cite magazine |magazine=Premiere |date=January 1999 |title=Premiere |page=12}}{{Primary source inline|date=November 2024}}

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.

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.{{cite news |title=Premiere magazine to shut down |author= |work=Chicago Tribune |date=7 March 2007 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/03/07/premiere-magazine-to-shut-down/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 February 2022}}

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.{{cite magazine |title=[cover page] |magazine=Premiere |edition=US |date=April 2007 |issue=236 |url=https://www.moviemags.com/main_g.php?title=PREMIERE&year=2007 |access-date=2024-11-19 |via=moviemags.com (as updated 4 August 2024)}}

The online version only lasted for a few years, and {{citation needed span|the magazine ceased all operations in 2010.|date=November 2024}}

A Japanese edition {{citation needed span|was launched in 1990,|date=November 2024}} and {{citation needed span|published by Kadokawa Shoten.|date=November 2024}}

In September 1992, a UK edition was released, published by Emap Metro and edited by Barry McIlheney for 5 years until its closure in 1997.{{cite magazine |magazine=Premiere |edition=UK |date=Autumn 1992 |page=9 |title=Special Launch Issue}}{{Primary source inline|date=November 2024}}

The February 1998 U.S. edition published in the United Kingdom incorporated a special UK film section.{{cite magazine |magazine=Premiere |edition=UK |date=February 1998 |pages=UK1–UK16 |title=Over Here}}{{Primary source inline|date=November 2024}} By the October 1998 edition, this was published as a separate supplement but had ceased by January 1999.{{cite magazine |magazine=Premiere |edition=UK |date=October 1998 |pages=UK1–UK20 |title=Over Here}}{{Primary source inline|date=November 2024}}{{cite magazine |magazine=Premiere |edition=UK |date=January 1999 |title=[not given]}}{{Primary source inline|date=November 2024}}

A Russian edition of the magazine was last published in December 2004.{{Cite web |author=guessseventysix |title=журнал Premiere |language=ru |trans-title=Premiere magazine |date=2005-11-30 |url=https://ru-kino.livejournal.com/2883839.html |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=ru-kino.livejournal.com |quote=и перестали... в декабрьском 2004 года и намека не было на закрытие журнала [stopped... In December 2004, there was no hint of the closure of the magazine]}}

{{As of|2007|March}}, in addition to the original edition in France, editions were being published in Czech Republic, Poland, Portugal and Spain.{{cite news |title=Hachette shuts print edition of Premiere magazine |author= |work=Reuters |date=March 5, 2007 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/industry-hachette-premiere-dc-idUSN0532587620070306 |access-date=February 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519005501/https://www.reuters.com/article/industry-hachette-premiere-dc-idUSN0532587620070306 |archive-date=2021-05-19 |url-status=dead}}

{{citation needed span|The Portuguese edition was canceled in October 2007.|date=November 2024}}

{{citation needed span|The last issue of the Czech edition was released in June 2009.|date=November 2024}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website}} (French)
• [http://www.moviemags.com/main.php?title=PREMIERE&etos=% The Site of Movie Magazines] Covers for all 230+ issues.

{{Louis Hachette Group}}

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Category:Film magazines published in France

Category:Magazines published in Paris

Category:Defunct magazines published in the United States

Category:Film magazines published in the United States

Category:Monthly magazines published in the United States

Category:Magazines published in New York City

Category:Lagardère Active

Category:Magazines established in 1976

Category:Magazines established in 1987

Category:Magazines disestablished in 2007

Category:Magazines disestablished in 2009

Category:Film magazines published in Russia