Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest emerged as the most popular film with Maltese audiences in the past 12 months, KRS Film Distributors announced recently.

In the period between 21 December 2005 and 19 December 2006, in fact, the swashbuckling sequel featuring pirates on the high seas, beautiful maidens, a mythical sea beast, treasure chests and an extravagant Johnny Depp seems to have been the film that captivated the imagination of Maltese audiences the most.

However, the latest film by the James Bond franchise, Casino Royale, follows closely on the heels of Pirates in second place, and the film is still in circulation. It is the first James Bond film to feature British actor Daniel Craig in the role of the 007 spy. Craig’s performance was preceded by considerable scepticism and speculation by diehard Bond fans, but his performance has been critically acclaimed as one of the best ever since the film’s release in November.

In third place is the film that fuelled strong controversy – at least in Malta. This did not prevent The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou (of Amelie fame), from lodging itself securely in the Top 3.

In fourth place is the comedy sequel Big Momma’s House 2, confirming Maltese audiences’ predilection for mainstream comedies. This was followed by the dark and sober Munich in fifth place, the Steven Spielberg film that was shot largely in Malta and stars Eric Bana and Daniel Craig in his pre-Bond days.

The Pink Panther and the latest instalment in The Fast and the Furious franchise – Tokyo Drift – rank sixth and seventh, followed by Ice Age 2 – The Meltdown, the highest-ranking animated movie in the Top 10. Another animated movie, Cars, in fact, only made it to 11th place. Other surprisingly high positions are occupied by Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and Poseidon in ninth and 10th places respectively while Superman 2, which was preceded by a massive marketing campaign, could only make it to the 12th position.

One of America’s first responses to the 9/11 tragedy, World Trade Center, directed by Oliver Stone and largely panned by critics, came 14th. This was preceded by Mission Impossible 3, starring Tom Cruise in a year in which he often made the headlines. Borat, the hilarious movie that was the talk of the year’s final few months partly due to some of the complex issues it raises but also for the number of lawsuits filed against its creator and protagonist Sacha Baron Cohen, placed 16th. The visually appealing Memoirs of a Geisha won 17th place, Garfield 2 came 15th and the final three places were occupied by Fun with Dick and Jane, Chicken Little and Keeping Mum.