2018 was a strong year in terms of film releases here in Malta as reported by KRS Releasing Limited. During the period December 20, 2017 to December 18, 2018 the film distributors released a total of 146 films, 30 of which were in 3D

A total of 26 of the films played in cinemas for eight weeks and over, with Johnny English Strikes Again being the longest running film with a 15-week run. Hot on Johnny’s heels were Bohemian Rhapsody; Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation running for 13 weeks; and Ocean’s 8 which ran for 12.

Gwilym Lee and Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody.

KRS Releasing also reports that the Top 10 highest grossing films released during the period were as follows:

In 10th place is Deadpool 2, Marvel’s foul-mouthed, irreverent anti-super-hero played with glee by Ryan Reynolds, proving extremely popular once again with audiences in his second outing.

In ninth place came the fifth instalment of the Jurassic Park action-adventure franchise with Jurassic World – Fallen Kingdom. Marvel’s acclaimed Black Panther came in at number eight; the critically and commercially acclaimed film counting seven Academy Award nominations among its many accolades, including the first ever Best Picture nomination for a superhero movie.

Maltese audiences are clearly unsatiated by the sexual shenanigans of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele with Fifty Shades Freed coming in seventh. In sixth place is the hugely popular The Greatest Showman headlined by Hugh Jackman, which of course gave us the wonderful song This is Me! Taking the number five position is Avengers – Infinity War, consolidating a superb year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. More action on the Top 10 as the action comedy Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle places a respectable fourth.

Ryan Reynolds and Brianna Hildebrand in Deadpool 2.

The afore-mentioned Johnny English Strikes Again came in third place, underscoring the enduring popularity not only of this bumbling spy played in his own inimitable way by Rowan Atkinson, but also of the actor himself, now entering the fifth decade of his career.          

In second place is Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, the sequel to 2008’s smash Mamma Mia, testament to the unwavering love and devotion for anything ABBA-related.

And the 2018 Malta Box Office champion is Bohemian Rhapsody, the Freddie Mercury-Queen biopic. Led by a charismatic turn by Rami Malek as Mercury, the film’s popularity in Malta reflects that it has achieved overseas.

Furthermore, the film’s success in Malta has rocketed it into second place on Malta’s all-time Box Office charts, surpassed only by Titanic released on January 28, 1998; while it is still on general release – its success continuing unabated.