Which Films were Made in Malta?

Not content on just being a Mediterranean hotspot, Malta has carved a long and successful career for itself as a much in-demand Hollywood starlet, with its first cinematic appearance dating all the way back to 1925’s silent naval film Sons of the Sea.

Since then many movies have been made in Malta, including recent mega hits such as Jurassic World III and Gladiator II using Malta film locations to scene-stealing effect.

If you’re interested in movies, then take a look at this list of films that were filmed on the Maltese Islands. You may even want to visit a few of these Malta movie locations during your stay.

The Oscar-winning Midnight Express, which tells the story of a Turkish prison, was actually filmed in Malta. The main characters can be seen walking through the city streets, and the building that holds famous ‘Suq tal-Belt (Valletta Market) also features, although it looks rather different since it was refurbished recently. Did you know that some Maltese words are even uttered in the guise of Turkish during the film?

In 1980, Popeye the spinach-loving sailor man rowed into quiet Anchor Bay and left that part of Malta forever changed. The set for the live-action comedy starring the late, great Robin Williams in his first ever movie role was built from scratch in Mellieħa. Timber was shipped in from Holland and Canada. Eight tons of nails, 2000 gallons of paint, and a 165-strong crew’s worth of TLC were used to bring the cartoon village of Sweethaven to life. No wonder no one wanted to dismantle it once filming wrapped. Popeye’s Village is a Malta movie set you can still visit today, remains pretty much as it was from the 80s but has expanded into a colourful amusement park with rides, memorabilia museum, water games, and more.

Perched on Comino’s highest peak, Santa Marija watchtower was built by the Knights to ward off barbaric raiders. The tower enjoyed its moment of Hollywood glory when it doubled up as the French prison fortress of Château d’If in the 2002 swashbuckler film The Count of Monte Cristo, which starred Guy Pearce and Jim Caviezel.

You can see plenty more of Malta’s unique characteristics cameoing throughout the film. Look out for the peninsulas of the Three Cities, Vittoriosa’s bastioned walls, colourful luzzu boats, and the grandiloquent corridors of the Grandmaster’s Palace in Valletta. Director Kevin Reynolds was initially planning to film for a few days around the Grand Harbour to portray his vision for olden Marseille. But once he came over and saw the rest of the island, he was smitten, and what was originally a four-day shoot quickly turned into a five-week stint.

With its rugged landscapes and other-worldy coastline—not to mention its playset of medieval forts—Malta has found favour with many a sword-and-sandal epic. You can spot Malta hogging the limelight in the original Clash of the Titans; all-conquering Gladiator, where a replica of about one-third of Rome’s Colosseum was built in Malta; and underrated toga movie Agora starring Rachel Weisz.

But the film in which it enjoys the most digitally unaltered screen time is 2004’s Troy, which is remembered fondly as a timeless movie filmed in Malta. In this Greek myth retelling, Kalkara’s Fort Ricasoli acts as the impenetrable city of Troy. And a flaxen-locked Brad Pitt playing feeble-heeled Achilles, wades in the luminous waters of Comino’s Blue Lagoon alongside his sea nymph mother Thetis.

A movie called Munich was filmed in Malta? Quite a chunk of it, in fact. Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated flick starring Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush, dramatized the real-life events surrounding Operation Wrath of God, the Israeli government’s secret retaliation against Palestine after the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Despite its globetrotting story, much of the production was filmed around Malta. Sliema’s seaside promenade masqueraded as coastal Tel Aviv. Republic Square in Valletta stood in for Athens, while a café and piazza in Rabat were passed off as Rome. For the Cyprus hotel that was bombed, the crew used one in cheerful Buġibba. Luckily, no real Maltese hotels were harmed during the making of this movie. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a traditional Maltese yellow bus tucked away in the back of one outdoor scene.

True, it’s not a movie. But Game of Thrones boasts such cinematic scope that it more than deserves its place here. Many scenes from Season One of the hit HBO series were filmed across the Maltese islands, and you can easily visit these Malta film locations.

Catelyn Stark rides through Mdina’s moated egress, and deeper in the silent city, peaceful Mesquita Square acts as the arena for several heated skirmishes between the Lannisters and Starks. The same square also fronted as Littlefinger’s titillating House of Pleasures, while the star-shaped Fort Manoel in Birgu stood in for the Great Sept of Baelor where Ned Stark meets his headless end in that shocking season one finale.

There’s also plenty Dothraki stomping grounds to explore. The series has inadvertently become one of the last productions to capture Gozo’s iconic Azure Window on screen, which can be seen during Khal Drogo and Daenerys’s matrimonial revelry in the series’ very first episode. This natural arch subsequently collapsed into the sea in March of 2017. Later on in the season, the undulating landscape of Mtaħleb Cliffs is where Daenerys emerges from the flames of her dead hubby’s funeral pyre swathed in nothing but her baby dragons.

This nail-biting bio-drama directed by Paul Greengrass (Bourne franchise) and starring the legendary Tom Hanks, dramatized the true story of Somali pirates hijacking the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama. Malta’s waters formed the film’s main backdrop, posing as the African coast where the incident took place. The crew also stumbled upon the perfect ship double docked in Malta’s ports—the MV Maersk Alexander was a dead match for the Alabama. Early on in the film you can spot the cargo ship sailing around the Grand Harbour in Senglea and the Freeport Terminals in Birżebbuġa and Marsaxlokk.

In 2013, global superstar Brad Pitt survived a legion of the undead in the blockbuster zombie apocalypse movie World War Z, which features scenes filmed around Valletta’s forts, streets and stairways. The film made use of Fort St Elmo in Valletta as a stand-in for the city of Jerusalem. The Fort is also home to the National War Museum, which could be of interest if you’re looking to learn about Malta’s rich and diverse wartime history!

Yet another film starring Brad Pitt, this time alongside his ex-wife Angelina Jolie. By the Sea was filmed in the picturesque Mgarr ix-Xini Bay and other locations on the island of Gozo. The film didn’t do so well in theatres, but we can assure you that Bradgelina’s choice of filming location was not at fault. The Bay is rather hidden and difficult to reach, but once you’re there, you’ll be able to enjoy utter peace and relaxation as you dive through the beautiful Mediterranean Sea!

The adventure-packed adaptation of the Assassin’s Creed videogame, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, was also filmed at Fort Ricasoli, which seems to be one of the most popular filming locations in Malta. The area matched the architecture of the medieval era, so many films set in that period have chosen Malta as their filming location!

Kenneth Branagh’s glossy remake of Murder on the Orient Express shot several key scenes in its opening under the Maltese sun. Malta’s Valletta Waterfront doubled up as a bustling Middle Eastern port, serving as a backdrop for Branagh’s lavish take on Agatha Christie’s iconic murder mystery. Alongside Branagh as the impeccably moustached Hercule Poirot, the star-studded cast includes Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, and Michelle Pfeiffer. The shoot made smart use of the Grand Harbour and Fort Ricasoli, showing how Malta can convincingly masquerade as just about anywhere on earth, with a little movie magic, of course.

Yes, dinosaurs stomped through Malta too! Jurassic World: Dominion, the sixth instalment in the dino franchise, used Malta’s historic capital and surrounding areas as the setting for a thrilling black market dinosaur chase. Streets around Valletta, with their narrow alleys and sandstone buildings, became the chaotic battleground for Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady as he sped through on a motorbike dodging both dinosaurs and bad guys. The city’s iconic Grand Harbour also makes an appearance. With Malta subbing in for an illegal dinosaur trading hub, it proved yet again that this little island can pull off big thrills.

Gladiator (2000) is undoubtedly one of the most famous movies shot in Malta. Ridley Scott’s epic built part of Rome’s Colosseum right in Fort Ricasoli, and Russell Crowe’s Maximus unleashed his revenge arc surrounded by Valletta’s fortified backdrop. Over two decades later, Ridley Scott returned to Malta to shoot Gladiator II (2024), bringing new energy (and more epic monologues) to the same sun-drenched locations. With the sequel featuring Paul Mescal in the lead role and scenes again taking place in and around Fort Ricasoli and the Grand Harbour, Malta reprises its role as the Empire’s blood-stained playground.