Gladiator II was Malta's most-watched film in 2024, according to film distributor KRS.
In a press release on Friday, KRS Releasing revealed the top ten most-watched films in Malta last year, with blockbusters and animated fantasy stories predictably dominating the charts.
Here are Malta's top ten films of 2024 as follows:
1. Gladiator II
Well-known to Maltese audiences from its inception, the sequel to the 2000 epic Gladiator was partially shot on the island with many locals featuring as extras in the film - many of whom attended the film's premiere in Malta.
Generating its own controversy from time to time, from a generous film grant to a director's 'joke' gone awry, Gladiator II was certainly the most talked about film in Malta by a country mile.
Picking up years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home.
With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honour needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.
2. Deadpool and Wolverine
Featuring two of Marvel's most iconic characters, a multi-billion dollar merger between Disney and Fox meant that the superhero team-up could finally make its way to the big screen unencumbered by trivial matters like intellectual property rights.
Starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the lead roles, the story features the characters being recruited by a shadowy underground organisation to save the multiverse.
Opening with a homage to boyband choreography and including a cover of an iconic Madonna song that went on to inspire an enduring meme encouraging users to share embarrassingly catastrophic stories, it's no surprise that Maltese audiences flocked to cinemas to watch it.
3. Inside Out 2
The first of several sequel films on this list, the follow-up to the 2015 Pixar film once again follows the inner workings of a girl as her emotions, here personified as colourful sentient beings, attempt to navigate the trials and tribulations of growing up.
Now that their person Riley has entered her teenage years, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust start to lose their grip on her peaceful existence when a new emotion, Anxiety, shows up.
The heartwarming tale raked in $1.699 billion at the global box office.
4. Despicable Me 4
The sixth instalment of the Despicable Me franchise, which also features solo outings by the obnoxiously oblong Minions, this time features reformed super-villain Gru, voiced by Steve Carrel, welcoming a new baby son into his family.
But as Gru struggles to bond with the creatively named Gru Jr., his newly found domestic bliss comes crashing down when an old rival, Maxime Le Mal, escapes from prison and vows revenge.
5. Wicked
It's a testament to the enduring popularity of the hit musical that its film adaptation still made the top ten list, despite being released so late in the year, premiering locally on November 22.
An alternative retelling of The Wizard of Oz, Stephen Schwartz's musical explores the struggles of Elphaba, an unfortunately green-skinned young woman and the series of events that lead her to be branded the most vile Wicked Witch of the West.
The adaptation of the beloved Broadway staple has been highly anticipated for months, capturing popular imagination online that was spurred in no small part by the sometimes bizarre media appearances of its stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
6. Moana 2
Originally conceived as a long-form series meant to premiere on Disney +, the sequel project to 2016's Moana eventually morphed back into a feature film, although it ended up losing star songwriter Lin Manuel Miranda along the way.
Another late entry with a December 4 premiere, Moana 2 sees the titular Polynesian princess reuniting with the demigod Maui three years after the events of the first film.
After receiving an unexpected message from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must assemble a wayfinding crew to rediscover a lost island and break its curse to reconnect all the people of the ocean.
7. It Ends With Us
The 2016 book that seems to be permanently wallpapered to the shelves of every airport cafe in the world finally got its film adaptation this year, although it was somewhat overshadowed by the feud that emerged between stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, culminating in accusations of harassment, smear campaigns and lawsuits.
The story features florist Lily Blossom Bloom (yes really) who moves to Boston to pursue her dream of starting her own business, getting caught up in a whirlwind romance with aloof neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid.
But when her relationship starts to show dangerous shades of domestic violence, Lily is forced to reconcile with her past and examine the turbulent relationship that ended up shaping her life growing up.
8. Wonka
An enduring Christmas release from 2023, Wonka is a serviceably delightful prequel that imagines the younger days of Roald Dahl's eccentric chocolatier as he struggles to break through the chokehold of a cabalistic chocolate mafia.
In an uphill battle against illiteracy, indentured servitude and a debt-chasing Oompa Loompa, Willy Wonka is just trying to make the world a better place one confection at a time.
The film featured a stacked cast including Timothée Chalamet, Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Olivia Colman and Hugh Grant.
9. Paddington in Peru
After 2017's Paddington 2 - which saw the titular sandwich-obsessed bear having to prove his innocence while serving a prison sentence - gained widespread critical success, a third outing for the character was no doubt on the cards.
This time Paddington discovers that his beloved Aunt Lucy - who at this stage is canonically over 100 years old - has gone missing from the home for retired bears where she lives, he and the Browns trek down to the Peruvian jungles to find her.
Their mystery sees Paddington and the Browns stumbling across a legendary Amazon treasure.
10. Dune: Part 2
Taking viewers back to the sand and spice-filled wasteland of Arrakis, Denis Villeneuve's second foray into the Dune universe concludes the first set of events surrounding the enigmatic Paul Atreides as his heavily prophecied but as-of-yet inconclusive destiny continues to unfold.
Plagued by visions of a terrible future his actions may put into motion, Paul reunites with the Fremen and seeks retribution for his family's demise.