Malta’s stunning landscapes and architectural heritage, which are so popular with visitors, have also proven versatile backdrops for a wide variety of audiovisual productions.
The country has been attracting iconic productions for decades, with classic films like Midnight Express (1978) and Popeye (1980) showcasing Malta on the big screen.
For the Academy Award-winning Gladiator (2000), and its highly anticipated sequel Gladiator 2 (2024), an entire replica of Ancient Rome, including the Colosseum, was built at Malta Film Studios, the islands’ main production facility, which has been operating since 1964 and has serviced over 200 productions.
Steven Spielberg’s Munich (2005), Angelina Jolie’s By The Sea (2015), and Michael Bay’s 13 Hours (2016) were also largely or entirely shot in Malta.
Other popular productions include Game of Thrones (2011), Captain Phillips (2013), World War Z (2013), Jurassic World Dominion (2022), and Napoleon (2023).
It’s not just Hollywood that has recognised Malta’s film potential. Indian productions Thugs of Hindostan (2018) and Bharat (2019) have also had segments filmed in the country, as have Italian TV shows Commissario Rex (2010), Come un Delfino (2012) and Chiedilo al Mare (2016).
