Visual Effects Magazine Cinefex Shutting Down

For more than 40 years, Cinefex magazine has provided readers with unique insight into the process of crafting visual effects for the film and TV industry, with the magazine sadly confirming that its most recent issue was its last. While the pivot to online platforms is the cause of a number of publications being scrapped over the years, Cinefex managed to set itself apart from its competitors with its exclusive content, with the outlet confirming that the final blow was the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, largely due to not only the lack of productions it could cover, but also a lack of advertisers. The most recent issue, Cinefex 172, is the final issue.

“After 41 years of publication, we at [Cinefex] are sad to report that Cinefex 172, just off the presses, will be our final issue,” the outlet shared on Twitter. “Many thanks to all our loyal fans.”

It’s unclear what the future might hold for the publication, given that this final issue was only just announced, but it’s hard to rule out a return entirely. Another industry magazine, the genre-focused Fangoria, ceased its regular publications in 2017, but was revived in 2018 as a quarterly, premium-format publication.

“Within weeks, the coronavirus pandemic swept across the planet, deadly and implacable; and to this day, its inexorable march through countries, communities, and families remains largely unchecked,” the outlet detailed of the pandemic’s effects. “The human toll has been devastating, but so, too, has been the toll upon businesses, countless numbers of which shut down due to economic necessity or government mandate. More than 100,000 of those businesses, in the U.S. alone, will never reopen. We are sad to announce that Cinefex will be among them.”

Their statement continued, “The pandemic deprived us of subject matter, retail outlets, and, most critically, advertisers, many of whom, like us, struggled to remain afloat in a climate of intense turmoil and uncertainty. We did our best to weather the storm, but ultimately the storm prevailed. You hold in your hands the final issue of a magazine that has documented and celebrated one of the most vibrant and exciting art forms in entertainment history. It has been our great honor and privilege to do so. We bid you a fond farewell.”

Cinefex 172 is now on sale.

Are you sad that the magazine is ending? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!