Empire of Light
Synopsis
The duty manager of a seaside cinema, who is struggling with her mental health, forms a relationship with a new employee on the south coast of England in the 1980s.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Official UK TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2022-12-15
Top Cast
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Olivia Colman
Hilary
Micheal Ward
Stephen
Toby Jones
Norman
Colin Firth
Donald Ellis
Tom Brooke
Neil
Tanya Moodie
Delia
Hannah Onslow
Janine
Crystal Clarke
Ruby
Monica Dolan
Rosemary Bates
Ron Cook
Mr. Cooper
Sara Stewart
Brenda Ellis
Justin Edwards
Jim Booth
Roman Hayeck-Green
Frankie
Brian Fletcher
Brian
Dougie Boyall
Finn
William Chubb
Doctor Laird
Spike Leighton
Mikey
Jacob Avery
Colin
Release History & Theatrical Window
Streaming Window: 60 DaysBritish Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
December 9, 2022
Wide Cinema Exhibition
February 7, 2023
VOD & Digital Platforms
February 21, 2023
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$13.5M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$11.4M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
0.84x
-$2.1M deficit
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Sam Mendes
- Screenplay & Story
- Sam Mendes
- Original Score
- Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
- Original Title
- Empire of Light
- Country of Origin
- United Kingdom, United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English, Spanish
- Runtime
- 1h 55m
- Production Budget
- $13.5M
- Worldwide Gross
- $11.4M
- Production Studios
- Searchlight Pictures, Neal Street Productions, TSG Entertainment
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Sam Mendes
Sam Mendes
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Roger Deakins
Lee Smith
Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Julie Pastor, Michael Lerman
Department Leadership Roster
Sam Mendes
Producer
Sam Mendes
Director
Pippa Harris
Producer
Sam Mendes
Writer
Roger Deakins
Director of Photography
Lee Smith
Editor
Mark Tildesley
Production Design
Ben Cooke
Stunt Coordinator
Hayley Saywell
Stunt Coordinator
Alexandra Byrne
Costume Design
Trent Reznor
Original Music Composer
Atticus Ross
Original Music Composer
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
R: Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.
Suitable only for 15 years and over.
Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Empire of Light.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Empire of Light.
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The race is on for this year's Oscars, honouring the film industry's finest from the past 12 months. Here is the full list of the nominees of the 95th Academy Awards, which will be handed out at the ceremony in Los Angeles on 12 March. How to watch 2023's Oscar-nominated films Best picture All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water The Banshees of Inisherin Elvis Everything Everywhere All at Once The Fabelmans Tár Top Gun: Maverick Triangle of Sadness Women Talking Best actress Cate Blanchett - Tár Ana de Armas - Blonde Andrea Riseborough - To Leslie Michelle Williams - The Fabelmans Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once Best actor Austin Butler - Elvis Colin Farrell - The Banshees of Inisherin Brendan Fraser - The Whale Paul Mescal - Aftersun Bill Nighy - Living Best supporting actress Angela Bassett - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Hong Chau - The Whale Kerry Condon - The Banshees of Inisherin Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything Everywhere All at Once Stephanie Hsu - Everything Everywhere All at Once Best supporting actor Brendan Gleeson - The Banshees of Inisherin Brian Tyree Henry - Causeway Judd Hirsch - The Fabelmans Barry Keoghan - The Banshees of Inisherin Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once Best director Martin McDonagh - The Banshees of Inisherin Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert - Everything Everywhere All at Once Steven Spielberg - The Fabelmans Todd Field - Tár Ruben Östlund - Triangle of Sadness Best original screenplay The Banshees of Inisherin - Martin McDonagh Everything Everywhere All at Once - Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert The Fabelmans - Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg Tár - Todd Field Triangle of Sadness - Ruben Östlund Best adapted screenplay All Quiet on the Western Front - Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Rian Johnson Living - Kazuo Ishiguro Top Gun: Maverick - Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie Women Talking - Sarah Polley Best animated feature Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Marcel the Shell With Shoes On Puss in Boots: The Last Wish The Sea Beast Turning Red Best documentary feature All That Breathes - Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer All the Beauty and the Bloodshed - Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov Fire of Love - Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman A House Made of Splinters - Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström Navalny - Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris Best international feature All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) Argentina, 1985 (Argentina) Close (Belgium) EO (Poland) The Quiet Girl (Ireland) Best cinematography All Quiet on the Western Front - James Friend Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths - Darius Khondji Elvis - Mandy Walker Empire of Light - Roger Deakins Tár - Florian Hoffmeister Best visual effects All Quiet on the Western Front - Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank, Kamil Jafar Avatar: The Way of Water - Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett The Batman - Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands, Dominic Tuohy Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White, Dan Sudick Top Gun: Maverick - Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson, Scott R Fisher Best film editing The Banshees of Inisherin - Mikkel EG Nielsen Elvis - Matt Villa, Jonathan Redmond Everything Everywhere All at Once - Paul Rogers Tár - Monika Willi Top Gun: Maverick - Eddie Hamilton Best costume design Babylon - Mary Zophres Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Ruth E Carter Elvis - Catherine Martin Everything Everywhere All at Once - Shirley Kurata Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris - Jenny Beavan Best sound All Quiet on the Western Front - Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel, Stefan Korte Avatar: The Way of Water - Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Michael Hedges The Batman - Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray, Andy Nelson Elvis - David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson, Michael Keller Top Gun: Maverick - Mark Weingarten, James H Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor Best production design All Quiet on the Western Front - Christian M Goldbeck, Ernestine Hipper Avatar: The Way of Water - Dylan Cole, Ben Procter, Vanessa Cole Elvis - Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn Babylon - Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino The Fabelmans - Rick Carter, Karen O'Hara Best make-up and hairstyling All Quiet on the Western Front - Heike Merker, Linda Eisenhamerová The Batman - Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, Mike Fontaine Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Camille Friend, Joel Harlow Elvis - Mark Coulier, Jason Baird, Aldo Signoretti The Whale - Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, Anne Marie Bradley
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Frequently Asked Questions About Empire of Light
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Empire of Light about?
The duty manager of a seaside cinema, who is struggling with her mental health, forms a relationship with a new employee on the south coast of England in the 1980s.
Who directed Empire of Light?
Empire of Light was directed by Sam Mendes.
Who stars in Empire of Light?
The principal cast of Empire of Light includes Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Tom Brooke.
When was Empire of Light released and how long is it?
Empire of Light was released in 2022 with a total runtime of 1h 55m.
What was the box office and production budget of Empire of Light?
Empire of Light had a reported production budget of $13.5M and grossed $11.4M at the worldwide box office (0.84 return on budget, classified as a underperformed).
Who composed the musical score for Empire of Light?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Empire of Light was composed by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Empire of Light?
Empire of Light holds official age classifications: AU: MA 15+; DE: 12 (FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.); FR: TP; GB: 15 (Suitable only for 15 years and over.); US: R (Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.).