The film directed by Guillaume Canet, produced by Trésor Films and Pathé Films (which is also handling international sales), attracted over two million viewers in some 30 foreign markets, seven weeks after its release. This makes it the biggest post-pandemic success of a majority-French production in theaters outside France.
Since 1995, the animated and fictional films based on the adventures of the little Gaul have generated 50 million admissions and €255 million in box office revenues outside France. Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, the latest episode of the saga, was eagerly awaited by French and foreign professionals and moviegoers. Released simutaneously in France and in some 20 territories, which have since grown to 35, it has managed to attract 2.1 million spectators for €13.4 million in box office revenues and has featured in 20 local top five titles.
While its career is still in progress and it is facing the current context of markets still impacted by the consequences of Covid-19, Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom is the first majority-French-financed production to surpass the symbolic two million admissions mark internationally since the end of 2019, succeeding Anna (4.72 million admissions and €25.4 million), Mia and the White Lion (4.62 million and €23.3 million), Serial Bad Weddings 2 (3.82 million and €28.5 million), and Astérix: The Secret of the Magic Potion (3.41 million and €18.7 million).
Once again, the largest number of admissions are concentrated in the European markets. The most surprising territory turns out to be Poland,where the 2022 golden season of French cinema seems to be continuing this year. Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom is indeed the most seen episode (both animated and fictional) of the franchise in theaters in the country thanks to 727,000 tickets sold (Kino Swiat, €2.98 million). It held second place in the local weekly box office for a month and is still among the top ten titles chosen by Polish moviegoers. Guillaume Canet's film became the fifth biggest French success in Poland since 1995, behind The Pianist (2002, Syrena, 1.25 million and €4.0 million), The Little Prince (2015, Kino Swiat, 803,000 and €3.1 million), The Intouchables (2012, Gutek, 766,000 and €3.29 million), and Amelie (2001, Gutek, 753,000 and €3.1 million).
In the Czech Republic too, no other French production had so thrilled audiences since The Little Prince eight years ago. Similarly, 110,000 young and old alike did not miss Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom (Bioscop, €0.79 million), which became the most seen fictional episode of the saga in Romania (Ro-Image 2000, 45,000 and €0.2 million). There were also 42,000 admissions in Ukraine (UFD, €0.14 million), the highest total for a French title since Russia invaded the country in February 2022.
Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom ruled the Greek top 10 for two weeks (Rosebud.21, 95,000 admissions and €0.57 million) and also debuted at the top in Belgium (Alternative, 228,000 and €2.17 million) and in French-speaking Switzerland (Pathé, 88,000 and €1.23 million). In these two markets, as well as in Poland, the film continues to be in the local top 10 after its sixth week of release, while it left the French top 10 the following weekend. Across the Atlantic, the latest Asterix has passed the CA$1 million mark in Quebec (Sphère, 106,000 spectators): it is the tenth French production to do so in the last ten years, far ahead of the French successes in the "belle province" in recent years (Kaamelott, Sphère, and Aline, the Voice of Love, Maison 4:3) which each stopped at less than 70,000 admissions. Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom has been the most successful French film in Belgium, Luxembourg, Quebec, and French-speaking Switzerland since Serial Bad Weddings 2 in 2019.
Distributed by Notorious through its local subsidiaries in both countries, Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom attracted 145,000 Italian €0.96 million) and 118,000 Spanish (€0.72 million) moviegoers, scores far from those achieved by the previous installments. Overall, only four other major productions have achieved more than 100,000 admissions in each of the two territories over the past three years, a result that puts these two careers into perspective in the current context of the two markets.
Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom's international career is far from over, for it will soon be releasing in Germany (Leonine), Austria (Constantin), Portugal (Nos), Singapore (Shaw), and German-speaking Switzerland (Pathé).
