Everyone loves a good film at the cinema, with a bag of popcorn on their laps and an ice-cold drink in their hands. According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), cinemas in Malta and Gozo projected 450 different film titles in 2018, registering a total of 839,931 admissions. See? We LOVE our films!
The NSO noted that the majority of cinemagoers (91.5 per cent) watched films originating from the US, with Maltese productions only attracting 2.1 per cent. Fiction films (non-animation) ranked as the most popular genre of films among the Maltese cohort at 71 per cent, with animation coming in second at 14.8 per cent.
Which were the top films us locals went nuts for?
According to the NSO, these were the top 10 films that raked in most admissions last year:
1. Bohemian Rhapsody
I mean, duh! It was probably the movie of 2018 (I personally watched it twice at the cinema). The Queen-centred movie attracted 8.2 per cent of the total admissions. (Not to mention, it won several awards).
2. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again
The sequel to the classic Mamma Mia movie shot 10 years before was another hit among locals, attracting 5.8 per cent of the total admissions.
3. Johnny English Strikes Again
The clumsy and totally hilarious spy managed to attract five per cent of the total admissions on the Maltese Islands.
4. The Greatest Showman
The circus show movie accounted for 3.2 per cent of admissions, amounting to 27, 065.
5. Avengers: Infinity War
It’s no surprise that the Marvel Studios production is among the top 10, having raked in three per cent of admissions (25,140 total admissions).
6. Peter Rabbit
The sweet animation movie accounted for 23,225 admissions in 2018 (2.8 per cent). I still can’t get over how CUTE the bobbing rabbits are!
7. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 3D
This adventure movie was another top dog. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle also accounted for 2.8 per cent of admissions, amounting to 23,204 total admissions
8. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
This animation managed to attract 23,203 admissions, just one admission behind Jumanji, but also falling in the 2.8 per cent bracket.
9. The Grinch
The Grinch animation was ranking in the 2.7 per cent admissions category, attracting 22,298 ticket admissions last year.
10. Incredibles 2
The fun-packed and totally nostalgic movie (yes, we’ve waited 14 years for this) fell into the 2.4 per cent category, raking in 20,512 admissions.
The NSO notes that 17 films were Maltese, while 180 came from EU countries, 219 from the US and 34 from the category ‘Other’ totalling the amount to 450 film titles screened last year. The total number of admissions hit 839,931 while the number of screenings across the board hit 45,011. Damn! We truly love the cinema.
Have you seen these top 10 films?