Ridley Scott, who directed the cinematic epic Gladiator 2in Malta this summer, made full use of the archipelago’s historic landscapes and architecture in his production – but he’s warned tourists against heading there on their holidays.

The island country is already a popular spot for Brits heading abroad, with the UK ranking as the top source of inbound tourists to Malta in 2023 and around 13,000 expats recorded as living there this year. 

It doesn’t seem to have made a good impression on Sir Ridley Scott, however, who has said he “wouldn’t advise going there on holiday” despite Gladiator having a record £38 million (€47 million) set aside from Maltese taxpayers so he could film there.

In a conversation with fellow director Christopher Nolan this month, Scott, 87, was full of compliments for the island’s pre-historic architecture, most of which is built from its beautiful natural limestone, but was less positive in his verdict on its tourist appeal.

Choosing not to delve into the reasoning behind his opposition to the spot as a holiday destination, Scott simply said: “Malta is a treasure trove of architecture. I wouldn’t advise going there on holiday.”

“I would not go back there on holiday,” he added, eliciting a giggle from the watching audience.

An edited version of the conversation, cutting out the comments, was uploaded to Facebook by Malta’s Film Commissioner Johann Grech and the official Gladiator social media page.

Scott could have been making a jibe at Malta’s heaving visitor numbers – with the country currently “exceeding its tourist carrying capacity” according to economists, a problem that risks being exacerbated by insufficient infrastructure and traffic management.

But Shadow Culture Minister Julie Zahra has slammed the comments as “humiliating”, especially as Maltese taxpayers are due to pay out £37 million to the production crew – breaking the record for the amount handed over to any film in the country’s history.

The government also handed over nearly £11 million (€13 million) to Scott after his Napoleon biopic shot in Malta for three weeks in 2022 as part of a cash-back scheme that gives production teams up to 40% rebate for filming in the country.

While the scheme is also implemented in other countries, costs stay well below the eye-watering £37 million mark, with both Italy and Spain capping it at £16 million (€20 million).

Ms Zahra called on Mr Grech to resign in a post uploaded to Facebook this week, suggesting that he had been “humiliated” by the director.

“I continue to maintain that the film industry can reach its true potential by focusing on local talent while supporting them on a level playing field.

“The Maltese film industry deserves much better,” she added.

Nationalist MP and former opposition leader Adrian Delia also took to Facebook to criticise Scott’s comments in a statement addressed to the director.

“You have achieved worldwide fame and probably deserve it …. Sadly however, you have not managed to learn respect towards those who welcomed you warmly, shared and lent their history and culture and showered you with millions to credit to your tax bill,” he wrote.

“You advised the world not to visit us as tourists,” Mr Delia added. “Well, allow me to advise you not to visit at all. Not to screen your movies, not to plunder our hard-earned tax coffers and certainly not to spit disrespect in our faces.”