International movies that were filmed in Malaysia
Malaysians will complain about the traffic and weather woes in the country and grouch about living overseas if we could. But deep down, we have an irreplaceable pride for Malaysia and won’t hesitate to rally around even a mention of our nation on the global stage.
For even more of these Malaysian pride moments, we rounded up a list of 10 international movies that filmed scenes in Malaysia, so you can point at your screen and go “Malaysia mentioned” to your friends.
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1. Thunderbolts* (2025)
The Merdeka 118 tower is already pretty impressive – it’s the second-tallest building in the world, only after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. It now has another accolade under its belt: a cameo in the Marvel movie, Thunderbolts*.
The superhero film opens with Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, jumping off the tower and later blowing up a floor in a separate building while strolling down Old Market Square.
Image credit: Prime Video
The stunt was performed by Pugh herself, who insisted on doing it instead of having a stunt double. Before the film’s release, Marvel Entertainment released behind-the-scenes footage of the film’s cast and crew in Malaysia, which was shot on the 120th floor of Merdeka 118.
2. Worth The Wait (2025)
Hollywood stars Lana Condor and Ross Butler went viral in 2023 after sharing photos of their trip to Batu Caves and curry laksa on Instagram. The pair was on our shores to film Worth The Wait, a rom-com with an all-Asian ensemble cast that’s set in both Seattle and KL.
Image credit: TGV Cinemas
In the trailer, Malaysians will easily recognise the KL skyline, streets of Bukit Bintang, and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, all acting as backdrops for the budding romance between Condor and Butler’s characters. The film’s poster also features Kwai Chai Hong and the essence of a typical alley in KL – prayer altar, red dishwashing buckets, aircond compressors, and all.
3. Edge Of The World (2021)
Edge Of The World, also simply known as Rajah, is based on the story of James Brooke, the adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak and acted as the first White Rajah of Sarawak.
The titular character is played by Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who starred in films and series such as Bend It Like Beckham, The Tudors, and Mission: Impossible II. Malaysian actors Bront Palarae, Shaheizy Sam, and Wan Hanafi Su are also part of the film.
Image credit: The Borneo Post
No surprise, Sarawak’s stunning and dramatic landscapes play a prominent role in the film, acting as the backdrop for all the scenes unfolding on screen. The film was shot entirely in Siniawan, in the state’s Bau district, from September to October 2019. It was supported by the Sarawak government and had a straight-to-DVD release in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
4. The Garden Of Evening Mists (2020)
The Garden of Evening Mists is a 2020 film based on the eponymous novel by Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng. It was shot in Cameron Highlands, with the popular hilltop destination’s beautiful tea plantations and vast misty surroundings given the ultimate cinematic treatment in this heartbreaking and redemptive movie.
Image credit: The News Lens
The multi-language film follows Yun Ling in post-war Malaya, who survived imprisonment and torture in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Seeking to build a memorial garden for her sister, who perished in the war camp, she travels to Cameron Highlands. Here, she reluctantly becomes the apprentice of a mysterious Japanese gardener, Aritomo.
The film was co-produced by Malaysia’s Astro Shaw and HBO Asia, with premieres in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, and Malaysia.
5. Entrapment (1999)
Entrapment is the slick Hollywood heist film starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones, where several notable locations in Malaysia take centre stage.
Image credit: Movie Maps
They include the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, which feature prominently throughout the movie, including in the climactic heist scenes – so much so that CGI was used to overlay slums next to the towers for dramatic effect. Additionally, the “Pudu LRT” station in the film, which was shot at Bukit Jalil LRT station, will be a hard one to miss for locals.
6. Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)
This high-octane Jackie Chan actioner, Police Story 3: Supercop, co-starring Malaysian star Michelle Yeoh, features multiple landmarks in KL. Exterior scenes were filmed in KL alongside Hong Kong and Shanghai, while interior sequences were shot in the Malaysian capital city.
Image credit: Bili Bili
In a dramatic fight scene, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building by Merdeka Square acts as the brilliant backdrop. Jackie Chan also famously pulls off a famous stunt in the city: dangling precariously from a helicopter over KL.
7. Kabali (2016)
Kabali is a Kollywood blockbuster starring Superstar Rajinikanth. In this film, Malaysia isn’t just a backdrop – it’s practically a co-star, so much so that Tourism Malaysia even promoted shooting location tours inspired by the film.
Image credit: Malay Mail
Multiple well-known locations across the country were used, including Batu Caves, Petronas Twin Towers, the lavish Palace of the Golden Horses, the Selangor Royal Club, Carey Island, and Melaka.
8. The Viral Factor (2012)
It’s not a bird or a plane – it’s Jay Chou in a Polis Diraja Malaysia helicopter, for the Hong Kong film, The Viral Factor. Chou portrays an International Defense Commission agent named Jon, who heads to KL to meet his long-lost brother. Unbeknownst to Jon, his brother is a fugitive who has escaped while being charged for several crimes he committed at none other than KL’s Former Supreme Court Building.
Image credit: Tun Razak Exchange
About 80% of the film was shot in Malaysia, with prominent spots in the city featured in the film, including Pavilion KL and even the jammed streets of the city, with close-ups of a bas sekolah and an old-school Proton Saga.
9. Blackhat (2015)
Directed by Michael Mann, Blackhat is a globe-trotting cyber-thriller that takes viewers to multiple Malaysian settings. The film – comprising almost everything that makes a great action film: hackers, nuclear plants, and the FBI – shot in Malaysia for about five weeks.
Image credit: IMDB
Its lead, Chris Hemsworth – the superhero Thor – was on location to shoot the film, along with actress Tang Wei. Hemsworth plays the lead, Nicholas Hathaway, who makes his way to Malaysia after a hacker was found to be buying satellite images of a seemingly random site near Seri Manjung, in Perak.
10. The Sleeping Dictionary (2003)
The Sleeping Dictionary may have Jessica Alba starring as a native Iban woman, but there’s no denying the beauty of Sarawak’s landscapes in film. Much of it was shot on location in Sarawak itself, capturing the verdant rainforests, wooden longhouses, and winding rivers of the region.
Image credit: IMDB
This romantic drama stars Hugh Dancy, a young British man sent to work in the jungles of Borneo in the 1930s, during the British colonial era. He’s assigned a “sleeping dictionary”, Selima, played by Alba. The term refers to a local woman who is tasked with closely teaching foreigners the native language and customs.
International movies filmed in Malaysia
From Hollywood blockbusters to Bollywood hits, Malaysia’s stunning cityscapes, heritage landmarks, and lush rainforests have quietly stolen the spotlight in films around the world.
So the next time you catch one of these films on screen, you’ll know exactly when to point, grin, and say, “Eh, that’s our country!”
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Cover image adapted from: Prime Video, TGV Cinemas, Tun Razak Exchange, The Borneo Post