Total Film cover and content given a makeover by Future

by Robin Parker, Media Week 15-May-07

BATH - Future's Total Film magazine is to scrap single movie star cover images as part of a revamp aiming to attract younger fans to the 10-year-old title.

From next month, the covers will flag the biggest stories and features to reflect the broader choice open to movie fans in cinemas, on DVD and with the growth of downloads.

Subtitled "the modern guide to movies", the revamp aims to compete more effectively with Empire for coverage and commercial support for the big releases.

Total Film sells 86,036 copies a month, around half the circulation of Emap's Empire, which recently celebrated its 18th anniversary.

Total Film publisher Simon Maxwell said the more flexible design would enable the title to stand out against other film magazines, as well as mainstream lifestyle titles and newspaper supplements featuring movie star covershoots.

He said: "Magazines have tended to champion one movie at a time, but we need to cast the net wider because there's so much going on in any one month. We have made a conscious move to be more inclusive, as we don't want new readers coming into the market to feel left out."

Future has redesigned the entire magazine, with new editorial elements and a monthly themed pull-out section of posters.