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IMDbPro

Empire of Light

  • 20222022
  • RR
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
14K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
93
24
Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward in Empire of Light (2022)
A drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times, set in an English coastal town in the early 1980's.
Play trailer1:35
14 Videos
50 Photos
DramaRomance
A drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times, set in an English coastal town in the early 1980s.A drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times, set in an English coastal town in the early 1980s.A drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times, set in an English coastal town in the early 1980s.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
14K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
93
24
  • Director
    • Sam Mendes
  • Writer
    • Sam Mendes
  • Stars
    • Olivia Colman
    • Micheal Ward
    • Colin Firth
  • Director
    • Sam Mendes
  • Writer
    • Sam Mendes
  • Stars
    • Olivia Colman
    • Micheal Ward
    • Colin Firth
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 137User reviews
    • 159Critic reviews
    • 54Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 34 nominations total

    Videos14

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:35
    Watch Official Trailer
    Official Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 1:14
    Watch Official Teaser Trailer
    Empire of Light
    Trailer 1:35
    Watch Empire of Light
    Empire of Light
    Trailer 1:15
    Watch Empire of Light
    Exclusive: Illusion of Life
    Clip 0:52
    Watch Exclusive: Illusion of Life
    A Guide to the Films of Sam Mendes
    Clip 1:59
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Sam Mendes
    Empire Of Light: L'illusion De Vie (French Subtitled)
    Clip 0:50
    Watch Empire Of Light: L'illusion De Vie (French Subtitled)
    Empire Of Light: You Have To Go Out And Get It
    Clip 0:46
    Watch Empire Of Light: You Have To Go Out And Get It
    Empire Of Light: Beach
    Clip 0:40
    Watch Empire Of Light: Beach
    Empire Of Light: Fishing
    Clip 1:37
    Watch Empire Of Light: Fishing
    Empire Of Light: Illusion Of Life
    Clip 0:52
    Watch Empire Of Light: Illusion Of Life
    Empire Of Light: You Need Serious Help
    Clip 0:29
    Watch Empire Of Light: You Need Serious Help

    Photos50

    Olivia Colman in Empire of Light (2022)
    Toby Jones and Olivia Colman in Empire of Light (2022)
    Micheal Ward in Empire of Light (2022)
    Micheal Ward in Empire of Light (2022)
    Olivia Colman and Tom Brooke in Empire of Light (2022)
    Olivia Colman in Empire of Light (2022)
    Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward in Empire of Light (2022)
    Colin Firth and Olivia Colman in Empire of Light (2022)
    Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward in Empire of Light (2022)
    Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward in Empire of Light (2022)
    Colin Firth and Micheal Ward in Empire of Light (2022)
    Micheal Ward in Empire of Light (2022)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Olivia Colman
    Olivia Colman
    • Hilary
    Micheal Ward
    Micheal Ward
    • Stephen
    Colin Firth
    Colin Firth
    • Donald Ellis
    Toby Jones
    Toby Jones
    • Norman
    Tom Brooke
    Tom Brooke
    • Neil
    Tanya Moodie
    Tanya Moodie
    • Delia
    Hannah Onslow
    Hannah Onslow
    • Janine
    Crystal Clarke
    Crystal Clarke
    • Ruby
    Monica Dolan
    Monica Dolan
    • Rosemary Bates
    Ron Cook
    Ron Cook
    • Mr. Cooper
    Sara Stewart
    Sara Stewart
    • Brenda Ellis
    Justin Edwards
    Justin Edwards
    • Jim Booth
    Roman Hayeck-Green
    Roman Hayeck-Green
    • Frankie
    Brian Fletcher
    • Brian
    Dougie Boyall
    Dougie Boyall
    • Finn
    William Chubb
    • Doctor Laird
    Spike Leighton
    Spike Leighton
    • Mikey
    Jacob Avery
    • Colin
    • Director
      • Sam Mendes
    • Writer
      • Sam Mendes
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The actual Dreamland cinema in Margate (which stood in for the Empire cinema in this film) was opened in 1923. It changed hands several times during its lifetime and finally closed for good in 2007. It still stands, although empty, because it is a listed building and so cannot be demolished without parliamentary approval. The block of flats where Steven lives with his mother is not an optical effect: it is really is that close to the building (with Margate railway station being just 100 yards up the road).
    • Goofs
      During a scene that takes place in 1981, Janine mentions she heard about a song from SPIN magazine. Spin magazine was not founded until 1985.
    • Quotes

      Norman: ...there's a little flaw in our optic nerve so if I run the film at 24 frames per second, you don't see the darkness... viewing static images rapidly in succession creates an illusion of motion, illusion of life..

    • Connections
      Featured in Amanda the Jedi Show: This Movie was Shockingly Terrible - Best and Worst of TIFF 2022 (2022)
    • Soundtracks
      Asteroid - Pearl & Dean
      Written & Performed by Pete Moore

      Published by Sony Music Publishing

      Courtesy of Pearl & Dean

    User reviews137

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    5/10
    Beautiful cinematography, nice attempted story themes - but without any commitment to any of them
    Positives first: the cinematography is quite beautiful and enjoyable, as is the scoring. The performances are great and holding the movie together - the cast does a great job.

    At the same time I struggled with figuring out what this film was trying to be about.

    A woman in her midlife crisis? Mental health? Racism? A movie theater gradually falling from glory (or finding its way back)? Unusual relationships? Abuse? (At one point there is a conversation that caught me off guard) And then there are some additional nuggets casually thrown in for a moment, but without any weight or meaning.

    All these themes have great potential to start important conversations, but you have to commit to one and explore it fully - instead, this movie touches on all of them and dances around them, throws in a bunch of sex scenes (some of which being rather unnecessary).

    That being said, watching the cast was still quite enjoyable, so i still had a reasonably good time.
    helpful•59
    30
    • aeris-422-443107
    • Dec 6, 2022

    Movies About Movies

    Movies About Movies

    Take a look at photos from The Fabelmans, Cinema Paradiso, and more films about the art of cinema.
    See the gallery
    View image
    Photos

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 9, 2022 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Imperio de luz
    • Filming locations
      • Dreamland Cinema, 52 Marine Terrace, Margate CT9 1XP, UK(exterior scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Neal Street Productions
      • Searchlight Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,177,577
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $163,405
      • Dec 11, 2022
    • Gross worldwide
      • $9,326,292
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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