17 Unexpected Insights About ‘Empire Records’

Allan Moyle’s cult classic Empire Records, a defining film for the Gen X generation, revolves around a group of teens working at an indie record store fighting to save it from a corporate takeover. Despite its simple premise, the movie resonated profoundly with audiences, leaving a lasting impact. Starring emerging talents like Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, and Ethan Embry, the film debuted on September 22, 1995, to little attention. Yet, over time, it gained a loyal following that has kept its spirit alive. Dive into these rebellious facts about the movie.

1. Empire Records was a box office failure.

The movie earned a mere $293,879. Warner Bros. initially intended to release it in 1250 theaters on September 22, 1995, but dissatisfaction with the final product led to zero promotion—no ads, no grand premiere. With a $10 million budget, it was shown in only 87 theaters, making $180,286 in its opening week. By the second weekend, it had nearly vanished from cinemas. (A slightly wider release in October added just $16,645 to its earnings.) Among 280 films released in 1995, Empire Records sits at 236th in box office rankings—far from the top, but not quite at the bottom.

2. The soundtrack outperformed the film significantly.

The soundtrack, which included just 16 of the 50 songs featured in the film, broke into the top 100 on the Billboard charts and produced two major hits. “Til I Hear It From You” by The Gin Blossoms, penned by Jesse Valenzuela, Robin Wilson, and Marshall Crenshaw, reached No. 5 on the Billboard chart, marking the band’s first top 20 entry. Edwyn Collins’s “A Girl Like You” also soared, peaking at No. 7 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart. A vinyl version of the soundtrack was released on Record Store Day in 2012.

3. The final version of “Sugar High” was not the original mix intended for the film.

In the film, Zellweger performed the track alongside Coyote Shivers. In a discussion with Consequence of Sound, Shivers revealed why the rendition they sang in the movie didn’t make it to the soundtrack. The record label opposed its inclusion, and the music supervisor deemed the track excessively loud. When the producer refused to remaster it, the supervisor opted for “the rough mix intended solely for on-set playback. This version was placed as the final track on the original pressing,” Shivers shared.

4. Angelina Jolie was nearly cast as Deb.

Looking back, Jolie would have been a fitting choice for the role of Deb, the shaved-head, suicidal character ultimately portrayed by Robin Tunney. Producer Alan Riche praised Jolie as “a force of nature” and considered her for other female roles, but, as Buzzfeed noted, “she was simply too intense.” This raises the question: Would Jolie have shaved her head, as Tunney did for a pivotal scene?

5. Tobey Maguire was originally cast in the film but left due to personal issues.

IMDb lists Maguire’s character as “Andre,” though his scenes were ultimately removed. Filming for Empire Records took place in Wilmington, North Carolina, where director Allan Moyle required the cast to live in neighboring beachfront homes to foster genuine bonds. As Buzzfeed reported, “Maguire arrived, felt lost, possibly took a hallucinogenic substance, and ended up in Moyle’s basement eating a massive bowl of cereal. After a lengthy conversation, Maguire asked to return to Hollywood to sort out his life and write a screenplay. Moyle agreed to purchase it, but Maguire never delivered the script. Two years later, he starred in The Ice Storm, and eight years later, he became Spider-Man.”

Ethan Embry, who portrayed Mark, recalled the situation differently. In a 2015 interview with The Wrap, he stated, “I don’t recall him coming to North Carolina. I only remember seeing him at an audition and sharing a cigarette while we waited. I had completely forgotten about his involvement until it resurfaced in discussions.”

6. Coyote Shivers misrepresented his age to secure the role of Berko.

Initially, producers aimed to cast Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, but his tour commitments made it impossible. Shivers, who was in his late twenties during casting, was chosen to portray the teenage character Berko. In a 2015 interview with Consequence of Sound, Shivers admitted he lied about his age, as producers sought a teen for the role, and he “looked young enough.” His true age was eventually revealed when producers discovered he was Liv Tyler’s stepfather (only 12 years her senior) and when he obtained car insurance in North Carolina at the over-26 rate.

7. Ethan Embry had a crush on Liv Tyler ... and so did nearly everyone else.

“I vividly recall having an enormous crush on [Liv]. It was overwhelming, especially since I still felt the same way when we later worked together on That Thing You Do!,” Embry shared with The Wrap. In a Rex Manning Day video message, Maxwell Caulfield recounted how the entire cast was drawn to Liv. “Liv Tyler was the heart of it all,” he said. “Everyone was captivated by this young, blossoming star.”

8. Renée Zellweger and Rory Cochrane were in a relationship during filming.

The pair first met on the set of Dazed and Confused (where Zellweger had a small role) two years before Empire Records. They also co-starred in the 1994 movie Love and a .45. Cochrane, who portrayed the store’s night manager Lucas, encouraged Zellweger to audition, leading to her landing the role of Gina, a store employee. A subtle nod to Dazed and Confused appears in the film, with its stoner logo visible on a cash register.

9. The studio pressured Allan Moyle to soften Empire Records.

At one stage, the studio took control of the film away from the director, denying him final cut privileges. “The studio operated with a cocaine-fueled mindset, while we approached the movie with a more laid-back, pot-inspired attitude,” Moyle told BuzzFeed. Despite the script’s R-rated content, the studio pushed for a PG-13 rating, leading to the removal of much of the profanity and scenes depicting the teens smoking marijuana (though consuming pot brownies was deemed acceptable).

10. Mark’s hallucination of attending a GWAR concert was filmed during an actual GWAR performance.

Though not in the original script, Embry’s character Mark consumes a pot brownie (Embry joked that real marijuana was used) while watching a GWAR video, leading to a surreal vision of entering the TV. During filming in North Carolina, actor James “Kimo” Wills (Eddie) noticed a GWAR concert flyer and informed Embry. Unfamiliar with GWAR, Moyle allowed Embry to devise the scene.

“GWAR was performing nearby, and I thought Mark should have a fantasy where he joins them on stage. They agreed,” Robin Tunney recounted, mimicking Embry, during a BuzzFeed LA Empire Records reunion in August 2015. “Allan let us bring a camera to the concert, and I ended up drinking Jägermeister with GWAR’s bass player,” Embry added. He also shared with Vanity Fair how the audience reacted during filming: “We shot a few takes, and the crowd just stood there, confused, before the show continued.”

11. Rex Manning’s fashion sense was influenced by Tom Jones.

Costume designer Susan Lyall explained to BuzzFeed how Rex Manning’s extravagant wardrobe came together. She sourced the purple satin shirt from New York’s Trash and Vaudeville and embellished it with fringe. She described the style as a blend of “Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, and Trash and Vaudeville.”

12. Yes, Max Caulfield is the one singing “Say No More, Mon Amour.”

During a 2023 Reddit AMA, Caulfield reminisced, “We recorded the track at Dave Stewart’s studio in the Valley. As a huge Eurythmics fan, performing the song on the sand dunes in Wilmington, N.C., surrounded by enthusiastic fans, felt like a surreal fantasy.” The music video is available to watch above.

13. Several scenes featuring Rex Manning were deleted.

In a 2021 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Caulfield revealed that some scenes offering a more sympathetic portrayal of his character were cut. One involved Rex offering Berko “solid advice” on navigating the music industry. Another showed Rex joining the final concert, which Caulfield felt “would have added a nice touch.”

14. “Rex Manning Day” is observed annually on April 8th.

A flyer in the movie marks Rex’s in-store appearance on “April 8th,” which is why the date is celebrated. Maxwell Caulfield portrayed the eccentric singer Rex Manning, who visits Empire Records for an album signing. In 2015, to mark the film’s 20th anniversary (and Rex Manning Day), Brooklyn’s Rough Trade Records transformed its storefront to resemble the film’s record shop, featuring surprise appearances by actors Ethan Embry, Johnny Whitworth, and the band GWAR. Although Caulfield couldn’t attend, a tanned lookalike recreated the “Say No More (Mon Amour)” video and posed for photos with fans.

15. Rex Manning Day serves as a homage to Kurt Cobain.

Screenwriter Carol Heikkinen drew inspiration from her time at Tower Records for the script, and in keeping with the musical theme, she included a significant date. “I recently spoke with the writer [Carol], and she mentioned it’s in one of the drafts,” Embry shared with The Wrap in 2015. “April 8th coincides with the day Kurt Cobain’s body was discovered. It’s not the day he passed away. We filmed that scene the same year he was found, symbolizing the end of a rock icon. It’s never explicitly mentioned in the movie, and no one ever says April 8th.”

16. The cast was unaware of the film’s eventual cult following.

17. A Broadway musical adaptation is currently in the works.

In 2018, Deadline revealed plans for a Broadway adaptation of the 1995 cult classic, aiming for a 2020 premiere to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary. While the debut didn’t materialize, progress continues, including a 2022 reading of the musical. The production will showcase music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak, with the script penned by Carol Heikkinen, the original film’s writer (and creator of Center Stage).